Taking your home off the market and re-listing it DOES make it more likely to sell... even if you don't cut the price

Britain's property market is not in the best of health at the moment, and some sellers may find their homes are difficult to shift. In that situation, a common tactic is to take the property off the market - wiping all records that it was ever for sale - and put it back on again soon after. The idea is that the property attracts fresh interest, and buyers don't worry that it has been hanging around for a while and assume there is a problem with it. Data has now backed up this theory, with figures from the property analytics firm TwentyCi suggesting that the trick actually works. It says that after three months of being on the market, the chance of selling a home drops to 14.2 per cent. Withdrawing and re-listing after a short break boosts the odds of selling to 39.9 per cent.Lowering the price when re-listing made virtually no difference to the chances of selling. Don't go stale: There's a 39.9% chance of selling if you withdraw and re-list compared to a 14.2% chance of selling if you stay on the market for more than three months, data suggestsThe national average time to sell a home has nearly doubled since 2022, according to Zoopla. TwentyCi says 2026 has seen the highest levels of new properties for sale in at least a decade, with supply 2.4 per cent higher than at the same point in 2025, but sales agreed so far this year 5.1 per cent lower than in 2025. More than half (53.3 per cent) of all property sales occur within the first five weeks of being listed, according to TwentyCi and over three quarters (75.6 per cent) happen in the first three months. After three months have passed, the chance of a sale drops to just 14.2 per cent with potential buyers deeming the months of marketing or multiple price reductions as a sign there must be something wrong.Throughout last year, 582,000 properties were withdrawn from the market, according to TwentyCi, but after a rest period of three months, 95,700 were relisted. Of those that were relisted, 54,700 had a price reduction, while 41,000 were listed at the same price or higher. The 54,700 with lower prices had a 39.5 per cent chance of selling, while the 41,000 with the same or higher price had a 39.9 per cent chance.Colin Bradshaw, chief executive of TwentyCi, said: 'The supply of newly-listed properties is at its highest for a decade, but the volume of sales agreed continues to decrease, the result of mortgage affordability constraints and wider, ongoing economic uncertainty.'Even in a challenging market, pricing isn’t everything and timing is crucial. If sellers can afford to, they should consider withdrawing their property from the market if it hasn’t sold in the first few weeks. 'Our analysis shows this can significantly improve their chances of a sale, and at the desired price.'Estate agent Jeremy Leaf is less convinced that withdrawing and re-listing is effective, though he says in some cases he has seen it work.'The success of re-listing will largely depend on what’s happened to the market with regards to supply and demand during the period when your property is off market,' says Leaf.'Waiting a few months could make all the difference between achieving a sale or not, and may even result in receiving considerably less than might otherwise have been the case.'Markets rarely remain unchanged so there is always a risk with re-listing. However, if you take the opportunity to change the photos and presentation, that might help make a sale. 'Also, if there is scaffolding on the building next door or roadworks outside your house, withdrawing and then re-listing once these works have been completed can help.'As for those looking to try their luck by withdrawing and then re-listing within a matter of days, the property portals sometimes detect this and reprimand the agent. 'Some agents try to remove properties from portals and cheekily re-list a short time later as a ‘new’ property, which can sometimes help avoid it appearing ‘stale’', adds Leaf. 'The portals sometimes pick up on this practice - but not always.'Best mortgage rates and how to find them Mortgage rates have shot up again due to inflation triggered by the conflict with Iran reversing hopes that the Bank of England would cut rates. This means those remortgaging or buying a home face higher costs.That makes it even more important to search out the best possible rate for you and get good mortgage advice, whether you are a first-time buyer, home owner or buy-to-let landlord.This is Money's partner L&C can help you with its fee-free mortgage service.> Compare mortgage rates> Find the right mortgage for you To help our readers find the best mortgage, This is Money has partnered with the UK's leading fee-free broker L&C.This is Money and L&C's mortgage calculator can let you compare deals to see which ones suit your home's value and level of deposit.You can compare fixed rate lengths, from two-year fixes, to five-year fixes and ten-year fixes.If you’re ready to find your next mortgage, why not use This is Money and L&C’s online Mortgage Finder. It will search 1,000’s of deals from more than 90 different lenders to discover the best deal for you.> Find your best mortgage deal with This is Money and L&C Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.