Open up a home search and you’ll see them. Listings that have been on the market for two months. Three. Some longer. Most buyers scroll right past them, assuming something’s wrong with the house. But that instinct could be costing you, since the longer a home sits, the more motivated the seller usually gets.

Here’s where some buyers are finding better deals. If affordability has been your #1 hurdle to buying, here’s a surprisingly simple strategy that could help you finally get your foot in the door. Start with the homes that have been sitting the longest. That’s often where the best deals are. Here’s why. Statistics show that there’s a connection between longer time on the market and lower sales prices. Basically, the longer a house sits, the more likely it is that the seller will reduce the price. If you focus on these homes that are just sitting and waiting, the opportunity for you is bigger than you may think right now.

Data shows there’s $347 billion worth of stale listings on the market right now – more than ever before for this time of year. So, ask a member of The Marzeotti Group or your trusted agent to filter listings for you from oldest to newest. The home that fits your budget might already be there. Just further down the list than you thought.

Lingering doesn’t always mean something’s wrong. Let’s say you do that and something catches your eye. Still, you might be questioning why the home has been sitting in the first place. Just remember, sometimes it has nothing to do with the home itself. Common causes are: The asking price was set too high to start or the home didn’t show well online or there are a lot of homes for sale in the area, so it just got buried. So, nothing that’s necessarily a deal breaker, or even anything that’s wrong with the home itself. If there’s a real issue, a thorough inspection will surface it and that’s information you can use to negotiate. Not a reason to assume it’s a house worth skipping over.

How to turn a lingering listing into a win. So how do you capitalize on a lingering listing? Essentially you have two big cards to play. The first is price. Work with your agent to study what comparable homes recently sold for, then build an offer around that. Coming in below asking price is fair game when a home has been sitting. The second is concessions. If a seller won’t budge much on price, they may still help in other ways, like covering some closing costs, repair credits, or even a mortgage rate buy down that lowers your monthly payment.

A member of The Marzeotti Group or your local trusted agent has the experience to tell which homes are the real opportunities and which are ones you should skip. A house sitting on the market isn’t always a red flag. In today’s market, it may be your best opportunity yet. For help deciding which lingering listings are actually worth a second look, connect with a member of The Marzeotti Group.