The Two Biggest Mistakes Slowing Down Your Property Sale
- wildkindinteriors
- Sep 10
- 5 min read
By Louise Wynne, Founder of WildKind Interiors
A new Zoopla House Price Index report says that homes needing a price reduction take almost 2.5 times as long to sell as those priced correctly from day one. And if you’ve ever been stuck with a property that’s sat on the market too long, you’ll know exactly how damaging that can be; financially and emotionally.
But here’s the thing: accurate pricing is only half the battle. The other half is how your property looks and feels the moment it launches online. That’s where home staging and interior design come in. When you get both right, you’ve got a winning formula.
Why launch pricing matters more than ever
Modest UK house price growth means buyers can be more picky and have choice. With average UK house prices creeping up by just over 1% year-on-year, we’re not in a boom market where buyers rush to snap up whatever’s available. Instead, they’ve got time on their side. They’re scrolling through listings, comparing properties side by side, and asking themselves: “Why this one?”
This is info you need to know. When growth is modest, the balance of power tilts towards the buyer. They know they can negotiate. They know they’ve got options. And that means your property has to work harder to grab their attention. Accurate pricing keeps you in the right search bracket and great presentation is what convinces them yours is the one worth viewing in person.
How overpricing can lead to a slow sale
If you launch too high, you risk stale listings, inevitable reductions, and sceptical buyers wondering “what’s wrong with it?”
Overpricing at launch is one of the fastest ways to damage and slow your sale. Buyers today are savvy; they’ve got Rightmove alerts set up, they track price changes, and they know exactly how long a property has been on the market. If yours sits there for weeks without interest, it quickly picks up a stigma.
Once you start dropping the price, the questions creep in: Why hasn’t it sold yet? Is there something wrong with it? Are the sellers desperate? That scepticism translates into cheeky offers, drawn-out negotiations, or worse, no offers at all. And the irony is, you often end up selling for less than if you’d just priced realistically in the first place.
The best estate agents price sensibly to get interest and people through the door. I keep my ears to the ground and hear what’s going on! Watch out for agents whose strategy is to price high, just to get your business. That could end up coming back to bite you on the proverbial!
Further still, if you combine poor pricing with poor presentation, that’s the makings of a “problem listing.” One that buyers will scroll past again and again, even when you finally get the price right.
And every time a listing shows up with a red “Reduced” tag, buyers smell panic. Even if the new price is perfectly fair, the perception is that you’re on the back foot. That perception encourages low offers and makes buyers question the property’s true value.
For developers and investors, that dent in confidence is costly. You’re not just shaving a few thousand off the sale price, you’re potentially lengthening time on market, racking up holding costs, and losing momentum.
A price cut might feel like a quick fix, but in reality it signals weakness. And in a market where buyers already hold more of the cards, the last thing you want to do is give them more leverage.
Why property staging is just as critical
Buyers don’t just buy bricks, they buy the lifestyle. I know I say this a lot, but that's because IT’S TRUE!
Nobody walks into a property and falls in love with four white walls. What they connect with is how it feels. Does it look like somewhere they can kick off their shoes after a long day? Can they picture hosting friends around the table, or working from that sunny nook in the corner?
That’s why property staging and thoughtful interior design matter so much. It’s not about karate chopping cushions (interior design speak for cushion plumping!), it’s about creating a story that buyers feel compelled to buy into.
When they can see themselves living the lifestyle your property suggests, they stop comparing square footage and start making emotional decisions. And emotional decisions are what lead to quicker offers, fewer negotiations, and sales at the price you want.
Staging makes photos and viewings work harder
A staged property photographs better, stops the scroll online, and creates an emotional connection at viewings.
The first battle is getting buyers to click. Online listings are crowded, and if your photos look flat, dark, or empty, people scroll straight past. Home staging gives you those eye-catching shots that make someone stop mid-scroll and think, hang on, this one looks different.
But it doesn’t stop there. Once they’re through the door, staging bridges the gap between imagination and reality. Instead of struggling to picture how an awkward room might work, buyers are shown a ready-made lifestyle. They can see where the sofa goes, how a dining space fits, and how it all flows together.
That emotional connection is what makes them say, I can live here. And when buyers start feeling it, offers tend to follow a lot faster.
Read my previous blog about the importance of great photography. I can’t say it enough!
The evidence behind staging
The better it looks, the more likely you’ll get strong offers quickly - at that carefully chosen asking price.
It isn’t just common sense, there’s hard data behind it. According to Rightmove, staged homes can sell up to three times faster than empty properties. The Home Staging Association UK reports that over 85% of staged homes sell at or above the asking price, while un-staged homes are far more likely to attract cheeky offers or sit on the market waiting for a reduction.
I’ve seen it play out first-hand with clients too. One Harrogate developer had a property sit empty on the market for a year with barely a nibble. We staged it in early 2025 and within a month, it had an offer.
Buyers are prepared to pay the asking price (sometimes more, though less so in 2025) when the property looks like it’s worth it. A beautifully presented home removes the excuses to negotiate. It reassures them they’re getting value for money and makes it easier for them to commit to a strong offer without hesitation.
Pricing + staging = faster, better sales
Getting the price right puts your property in front of the right buyers. Property staging makes sure those buyers actually want it when they see it. If one is missing, the other struggles to do its job.
Price well but present badly, and people scroll past.
Present beautifully but overprice, and you’ll still be stuck with viewings that don’t convert.
It’s only when both align that you get strong interest and fast, serious offers.
Together, they:
Attract the right buyers from the outset.
Shorten time on market (and save you those painful bridging costs).
Reduce the risk of reductions and lowball offers.
Maximise your return, even in a modest growth market.
A developer’s perspective
I’ve seen this play out with clients time and again. Properties that are priced realistically and staged well fly off the market in comparison to those that have a less well thought out strategy.
Those that launch empty, half-finished, or over-priced? They linger, costing more in holding costs than the staging fee would ever have done.
You know what to do!
Need help with staging your property? Let’s talk.
About the author: Louise Wynne has been working with house builders and property developers since 2006. Combining interior design and styling with her colour psychology expertise, Louise gets to the heart of her clients' requirements.
