Because changing the messenger doesn’t change the message.
When a home doesn’t sell, the most tempting explanation is also the simplest one.
“It must be the agent.”
That conclusion feels productive. Change the sign. Change the outcome.
But in the St. Louis market, most stalled listings aren’t suffering from a marketing problem. They’re stalled because a hard decision hasn’t been made yet.
Price versus reality.
I recently worked with a seller who had already tested the market once. When we looked at the data together, one thing was immediately clear. The house wasn’t being rejected. It was being priced out of consideration.
Once the price was aligned, interest followed and we went under contract. The inspection, however, introduced a new variable. A material issue surfaced, buyers asked for it to be addressed, and the seller declined. That’s when the listing crossed into a different phase altogether.
Because once a problem is known, the house stops being hypothetical. It becomes factual. It must be disclosed. Buyers factor the cost into their offers. And suddenly, the price that once felt reasonable doesn’t anymore. The market doesn’t care about effort, frustration, or intention. It cares about alignment. Homes sell when price, condition, and buyer expectations line up. When they don’t, listings don’t fail loudly. They fade.
This is usually the moment sellers start thinking about changing agents. Not because the advice was wrong, but because it was uncomfortable. A new agent feels like a fresh start. New photos. New language. New energy.
But here’s the part most sellers don’t expect: the next agent inherits the same disclosures, the same buyer objections, and the same price-value gap. The market doesn’t forget just because a listing agreement ends.
Unless the strategy changes, the outcome rarely does. This is the moment that quietly decides whether a listing moves or lingers.
So here’s the uncomfortable question.
At what point does changing agents stop being a strategy and start being a way to avoid a harder pricing conversation?
Ready to Make a Move?
📲 Contact me today to put a plan in motion — and let’s make your next move your smartest one yet.
Karen Moeller
Karen.Moeller@stlre.com
314.678.7866
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