Seller · Diagnostics
If your Coquitlam home has been listed 30+ days with no offers, the cause is almost always one of three things — and the longer you wait, the harder it gets. Here's how to diagnose and fix.
Quick Answer
Why isn't my Coquitlam home selling? The honest diagnosis.
If your Coquitlam home has been listed 30+ days with no offers, the cause is almost always one of three things — and the longer you wait, the harder it gets. Here Craig Johnston, Top 1% Team Member — Greater Vancouver REALTORS® and 47+ year Tri-Cities resident, can walk you through the local context. Free Strategy Call ends with a written one-page plan in 24 hours.
Verified · Seller · Diagnostics
Diagnosis 1: Price is too high
Most common cause. The market signal (recent comparable solds) is telling you something your list price isn't acknowledging. After 14 days of low showing activity, this is almost always the issue.
Diagnosis 2: Marketing is weak
Bad photography, poor MLS description, no virtual tour, no strategic marketing channels. Less common than price but real. Get your REALTOR® to walk through how the listing is actually being marketed.
Diagnosis 3: Property condition
If buyers tour but don't write, the property itself is the issue. Common: outdated kitchen/bath, dated paint colors, smell (pets, smoke), staging mismatch with target buyer.
Diagnosis 4: Wrong target buyer
Marketing aimed at wrong demographic. A 4-bedroom Burke Mountain detached should not be marketed primarily to first-time buyers.
Diagnosis 5: Catchment / school gap
Inside-vs-outside school catchment makes a 5-10% price difference. If your home is just outside Heritage Woods or other premium catchments and priced as if it's inside, buyers see through it.
Diagnosis 6: Stale listing
Properties sitting 60+ days on MLS show as 'days on market: 90+' in buyer searches and signal problems. Active reduction or temporary pull-and-relist may be needed.
Fix: Strategic price reduction
3-5% reduction at 14-day mark, additional 3-5% at 30-day mark if needed. Better than gradual drips. Buyers respond to clear price signals.
Fix: Marketing reset
New photos, new MLS description, fresh open house, refreshed staging. Sometimes the problem is buyer fatigue with the existing listing.
Fix: Honest conversation with REALTOR®
If your REALTOR® keeps reassuring you 'it'll happen' but nothing is happening, you need either a strategy reset or a different REALTOR®. Most Coquitlam REALTORs® are willing to have this conversation honestly.
No pressure. No obligation. Just a 30-minute call to talk through your specific situation.
A listing that stalls is frustrating, but it is almost always fixable once you identify which lever is stuck. These are the usual culprits, roughly in order of impact.
Price
The most common reason a home sits is a price above what buyers are paying for comparable homes today. The market gives feedback quickly, and the skill is in listening to it early rather than chasing it down later.
First impression
Most buyers meet your home in photographs before they ever visit. Weak images, a cluttered gallery or a thin, generic description can quietly cost you showings before anyone reaches the door.
Presentation
Clutter, deferred maintenance and strong odours undercut buyer confidence fast. A focused declutter, a deep clean and light staging often reset how a home feels the moment someone walks in.
Access
Restrictive showing windows and hard-to-book appointments quietly shrink your buyer pool. The easier a home is to see, the more offers it tends to attract — friction here works against you.
Feedback
Consistent showing feedback — 'felt small', 'needs work', 'priced high' — is information, not noise. A listing that adjusts to what buyers are saying recovers; one that ignores it tends to stall.
For you
A home that will not move is rarely a mystery for long. It is usually one of price, presentation, marketing or access — and once you find which, the fix is often straightforward.
Every stalled listing has its own mix of causes, and the right move depends on the specific home, its price point and where the local market sits at that moment.
Craig can review a home that is not selling and give an honest, specific read on what to change — sometimes it is a repricing, sometimes it is simply better photos and easier access.
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