Can you Delist and Relist a Home to Make it Look New?

The simple answer to this question is no, you can't delist and relist your home to make it look like a new listing. Keep reading to find out why this isn't a good practice and what other tactics you can use to get more buyers to check out your property.

While we used to see delisting and relisting used as a common practice, today it's both forbidden by the MLS boards and it's a bad way to try and get more buyers to your listing.

Here are two big reasons why this strategy is ineffective:

• MLS boards consider this practice to be illegal manipulation of their systems, and they will punish you for it.
• All of the major real estate websites have a property history section that details the changes you make to the listing. These sections are based on address – not MLS number – so if you list, delist and relist, all of that information is transparently shown to buyers.

Our general advice to sellers when they ask about a delist/relist strategy is to take a step back and focus on the real issue. If you've noticed a slowdown in buyer traffic or if your listing is off to a slow start, ask yourself these four questions:

1. Do you have professional photos?
   
   
2. Is your home on the MLS, Zillow, Trulia, Redfin and Realtor.com?
   
   
3. Are you offering a standard buyer agent commission (at least 2% or better yet, 2.5%) to encourage buyer agents to show your property?
   
   
4. Are you correctly priced? We see pricing as a problem overwhelmingly with Southern California listings, where they adopt a "leave room to negotiate" strategy. As Zillow CEO Spencer Raskoff has written, that strategy backfires. Here's why.

By knowing what to evaluate, you can troubleshoot any listing issues that are causing a slowdown in interest and keep your home sale moving along!

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Posted in Increasing Showings & Offers