You did everything you were supposed to do. You cleaned, decluttered, took the photos, and put the sign in the yard. Now it has been two months, the showings have slowed to a trickle, and you're wondering whether it's time to drop the price again.
Before you do, it helps to know what sixty days actually means in your town, because it isn't the same in Howe as it is in Gunter or Van Alstyne.
What buyers are dealing with right now
Mortgage rates have climbed again. Freddie Mac's weekly average for a 30-year fixed loan reached 7.03% on September 24, the first time above 7% since January 2025 and the fifth straight weekly increase. Buyers have choices and tight payment budgets, which makes them very sensitive to price.
What the local numbers show
| Van Alstyne | Anna | Howe | Gunter | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active listings, Aug 2026 (Aug 2025) | 283 (197) | 496 (464) | 46 (50) | 96 (69) |
| Typical days to sell, Jan–Aug 2026 | about 75 | about 59 | about 39 | about 92 |
| Typical days to sell, Jan–Aug 2021 | about 18 | about 7 | about 11 | about 10 |
| Sold price vs. final list price, 2026 | about 97.8% | about 98.2% | about 98.2% | about 98.6% |
| Sold price vs. original list price, past 11 months | about 8% lower | about 8% lower | about 5% lower | about 8% lower |
Local MLS data through August 2026. "Typical" figures are averages of monthly medians. Days to sell counts only homes that closed. Howe and Gunter have fewer sales per month, and Gunter's homes span a wide price range, so their figures swing more.
Three things stand out:
- The market has changed a lot since 2021. Homes that sold in early 2021 typically did so in one to three weeks, and often at or above list price. Today, sold homes typically close about 2% under their final list price and take much longer to sell.
- Van Alstyne has more homes for sale than at any point in the data. There were 283 active listings in August 2026, 44% more than a year earlier and more than four times the 63 listed in August 2021.
- Gunter homes are taking the longest to sell. The typical sold home took about 92 days this year, and active listings are up 39% from a year ago (96 vs. 69).
- The discount is happening before the contract. If a home closes at about 98% of its final list price, but roughly 5–8% below its original list price, most of the difference likely came from price reductions along the way rather than from negotiating at the end. (This compares monthly medians, so treat it as a rough guide.)
So, is 60 days a problem?
It depends on where you are. In Van Alstyne and Anna, a home that sells this year typically takes about two months or more, so sixty days on its own isn't a red flag. In Gunter, the typical home that sold took about three months, so sixty days is on the quicker side. In Howe, the typical home that sold took closer to five or six weeks, so sixty days is well past the norm.
A better question than "how many days" is what the activity has looked like. Are you getting showings? Is the feedback about price? Are the showings drying up? Has your price history started to stack up?
Why the first price does most of the work
When a home first hits the market, that's when it gets the most attention: buyers who have been watching for something new, and agents who have clients waiting. A home priced in line with recent sales and current competition gives those buyers a reason to act. A home priced too high gets looked at, compared, and passed over, and then it has to earn attention again with every cut.
There's also a math problem with small, repeated reductions. At around 7%, a $5,000 price cut lowers the principal-and-interest payment on a 30-year loan by only about $33 a month. That rarely changes a buyer's decision, but it does add another entry to your price history.
The stale-listing problem
Buyers can see how long a home has been listed and how many times the price has changed. Many of them read that as a warning sign. They start to wonder whether there's a problem with the foundation, the roof, or the inspection, or whether the seller is so motivated that a low offer will be accepted. Even when nothing is wrong with the house at all, a long stretch on the market can make buyers assume something is. And in a town like Howe, where homes typically sell in five or six weeks, a longer listing stands out sooner.
A simple (hypothetical) example
This is an illustration, not a prediction. Every home and every market is different.
Seller A lists at $395,000, above what recent comparable sales support. After price cuts at day 30 and day 60, the home sells for $372,000 on day 105.
Seller B lists the same kind of home at $375,000 and accepts an offer of $370,000 on day 35.
Seller A's sale price was $2,000 higher. But if it costs about $2,500 a month to carry the home (mortgage, taxes, insurance, utilities, upkeep), Seller A paid for about 70 extra days, roughly $5,800. Seller B probably walked away with more money in hand, and had two fewer months of showings and stress.
Pricing right at the start doesn't guarantee that outcome. But it can put you in a better position than chasing the market down.
Where you are at day 60: your options
1. Reprice once, and make it count
If the price is the problem, a meaningful, well-supported adjustment based on recent sold homes and what's actively competing with you, rather than on what you need to net, usually does more than a series of small cuts.
2. Look at everything besides the price
Are the photos doing the home justice? Is the home easy to show? Are there condition items buyers keep mentioning? With rates over 7%, seller-paid closing costs or a rate buydown can also make a bigger difference to a buyer's payment than the same dollars taken off the price.
3. Take a break, then relist
Pulling the home for a few weeks, fixing what needs fixing, and coming back with a fresh plan can work. Keep in mind that buyers can often still see a home's past listing history online, so a relist works best when something real has changed: the price, the condition, or the presentation.
4. Get a second opinion, or consider a different agent
If your current plan isn't producing showings and you're not confident in the direction, a second opinion is reasonable. This part comes with paperwork, so it's worth understanding before you decide.
If you're thinking about changing agents in Texas
Your listing agreement is a contract, and the details matter. A few things to know:
- Read your listing agreement first. It sets the length of the listing, and many run anywhere from 90 days to a year.
- Ending a listing early is usually a conversation, not a form you fill out alone. When both sides agree to part ways, Texas REALTORS has a Termination of Listing form (TXR-1410) that documents it.
- Check the protection period. The standard Texas listing agreement (TXR-1101) includes a protection period. If your listing ends, your former agent can send you a written notice within 10 days listing the buyers who saw the home. If you later sell to one of them during the protection period, you may owe the original commission. That generally doesn't apply if you sign a new exclusive listing with another Realtor.
I'm not a lawyer, and this isn't legal advice. Read your own agreement, and start by talking honestly with your current agent.
How I look at it
If you're under an exclusive listing right now, the first step is a candid talk with your agent, and I won't try to interfere with that agreement. If your listing has expired, or you're thinking about listing and want to be sure of your price before you go to market, I'm glad to help.
Every listing I take includes professional photography and aerial photos, because how a home looks online is often a buyer's first impression.
My free pricing review looks at what has recently sold near you, what you're actually competing against right now in Van Alstyne, Howe, Anna, or Gunter, and what your home's showing and price history are telling us. It comes with a clear picture of what you would likely net, with no pressure to list with me.
Kelly Bishop is a full-time real estate agent serving Van Alstyne, Howe, Anna, Gunter, and surrounding communities since 2018, and co-owner and Broker of Record of Rise Realty Texas.
Sources: local MLS data for each town through August 2026 (September excluded as an incomplete month); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (Sept. 24, 2026); Texas REALTORS Residential Real Estate Listing Agreement (TXR-1101). The example above is hypothetical and for illustration only.