One of the most common conversations I’m having with sellers right now starts the same way:

“Six months ago, every agent told me I’d get more.”

The problem isn’t necessarily the property. The problem is that markets move. And sometimes they move while you’re preparing to sell.

Particularly if you’re selling an investment property, the process can take far longer than many people realise. You may need to give tenants notice. Complete repairs and updates. Organise styling. Arrange photography. Interview agents and prepare a marketing campaign.

By the time you’re ready to launch, four months may have passed. The market you’re selling into may no longer be the market you prepared for.

Key takeaways: 

• The market you’re selling into may not be the market you prepared for.
  Several months can pass between deciding to sell and launching a campaign, giving market conditions plenty of time to change.
• Sellers often become anchored to yesterday’s prices.
  When expectations don’t match current buyer behaviour, vendors can find themselves chasing the market and making reactive decisions.
• A strategic reset can prevent costly mistakes.
  Sometimes a “pattern interrupt” is needed—stepping back, reassessing the market objectively, and adjusting your strategy based on today’s conditions rather than past expectations.

The Four-Month Problem

One of the biggest challenges facing vendors today is the lag between deciding to sell and actually going to market.

When conditions are strong, sellers naturally assume those conditions will still exist when their campaign begins.

Sometimes that’s true. Sometimes it isn’t.

Particularly if you’re selling an investment property, there can be tenant notice periods, repairs, maintenance, styling, photography, agent interviews and marketing preparation before the property is ready for sale.

It’s not unusual for several months to pass during that process. A lot can happen in four months. Sometimes the market improves. Sometimes it becomes more difficult.

Right now, many vendors are finding themselves in a position where the market has changed during that preparation period. The expectations they formed at the beginning of the process no longer align with buyer behaviour. That’s a difficult adjustment to make.

What Withdrawn Listings Are Telling Us

One of the indicators I watch closely is withdrawn listings.

Historically, Sydney’s withdrawn listings have hovered around 10%. In recent months, they’ve been closer to 20%.

A withdrawn listing is usually a sign that an owner doesn’t believe they’ll achieve the price they want, so they take the property off the market. To me, that suggests twice as many sellers are entering the market with expectations that don’t align with current buyer behaviour.

Some sellers can afford to wait. Others can’t.

If you’ve already bought elsewhere, removed tenants from an investment property or committed to another move, taking the property off the market may not be a practical option.

That’s when the pressure starts to build. You begin questioning the market. You question the feedback. You question your agent. And sometimes, you even start questioning your own decisions.

Not All Agents Have Sold Through Tough Markets

This is something I think many sellers underestimate.

If an agent has only been working in a market like Brisbane, Perth or Adelaide for the past five or six years, there’s a reasonable chance they’ve never experienced a genuinely difficult market.

Selling in a softer market requires different skills.

When buyers aren’t competing aggressively, agents need to know how to negotiate, how to create urgency and how to guide sellers through difficult conversations. I learnt that lesson myself. The first half of my selling career was during very strong market conditions. The second half wasn’t. That’s when I actually learnt how to sell property.

In a strong market, buyers often create the momentum themselves. In a softer market, agents need to know how to create competition, negotiate strategically and guide sellers through difficult conversations.

They’re completely different skill sets. That’s why experience matters. Not just years in the industry, but experience across different market cycles.

Catching a Falling Knife

One of the most dangerous situations for sellers is becoming trapped in a cycle of chasing the market.

Buyers are responding to today’s conditions. Sellers are anchored to yesterday’s prices. The result is a series of delayed decisions, missed opportunities and growing frustration. It’s the property equivalent of trying to catch a falling knife.

Every price adjustment feels painful. Every piece of feedback feels personal. Every inspection that doesn’t lead to an offer creates more uncertainty. And yet the market keeps moving.

The longer sellers resist what the market is telling them, the harder it becomes to regain control of the campaign.

Why Sellers Start Focusing on the Wrong Things

When campaigns aren’t progressing the way people hoped, they often start searching for explanations. A photo becomes the problem. A styling choice becomes the problem. A word in the advertisement becomes the problem.

I’ve watched sellers convince themselves that if a particular photo had been different, the property would have sold for another $100,000.

I’ve also seen sellers become fixated on tiny details during a campaign. A styling choice. A photograph. Even whether a cushion was placed correctly on a sofa during a photoshoot.

When a property isn’t receiving the response they expected, it’s natural to look for something concrete to blame. But more often than not, those details aren’t the problem. They’re simply the outlet for the stress and uncertainty sellers are feeling about the market itself.

The market isn’t behaving the way they expected, so they start focusing on things they feel they can control.

Sometimes You Need a Pattern Interrupt

When sellers find themselves constantly questioning every decision, every piece of feedback and every conversation with their agent, I often think it’s time for a pattern interrupt.

Something has to change. It’s time to step back and objectively assess what’s actually happening.

• Is the strategy still appropriate? 
• Is the pricing aligned with current buyer behaviour?
• Is the presentation helping or hindering the campaign?
• Is the advice you’re receiving still relevant to today’s market?

Continuing down the same path while hoping for a different outcome rarely works.

Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do is pause, reassess and make decisions based on evidence rather than emotion.

Final Thoughts

Selling property is always emotional.

Selling during a transitional market can be even more challenging because expectations formed months ago may no longer reflect reality.

The key is recognising when stress is influencing decisions and ensuring you’re responding to today’s market rather than yesterday’s.

The market may have changed.

But successful outcomes are still possible for sellers who are willing to adapt, seek good advice and stay focused on what the market is actually telling them.

Selling in a changing market can be challenging, particularly when expectations, buyer behaviour and market conditions are all shifting at the same time.

If you’re unsure whether to keep pushing forward, adjust your strategy, or take a different approach altogether, speaking with an experienced Vendor Advocate can help. You’ll receive independent advice, objective feedback and practical guidance to help you make better decisions throughout the selling process and avoid costly mistakes.

Whether you’re preparing to sell, already on the market, or trying to decide what to do next, you’ll walk away with practical guidance tailored to your situation.