25 Hardest Places To Sell a Home

The housing market has done surprising things over the pandemic. When the economy took an especially tough hit, in 2020, the housing market did not follow suit. Mortgage rates hit all-time lows of below 3%, and buyers scrambled to lock in lower rates. This surge in demand drove home prices higher, making the market attractive to sellers.

The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased to 6.73% in the first week of this month, according to Freddie Mac’s benchmark rate analysis. Just a year ago, the 30-year fixed rate was 3.89%. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), the median existing-home sales price went up 1.3% to $359,000 in January compared to January 2022.

To help locate housing markets that may be in distress, GOBankingRates analyzed the 190 largest metropolitan housing markets according to Zillow’s Housing Data and found the 25 hardest places to sell a home. Primary factors considered were the difference between list and sale prices, average price cut and average number of days on Zillow.

The resulting list of 25 cities is ranked in reverse order, with the most difficult city in which to sell a home listed last. Depending on your point of view, these cities could represent opportunities for buyers, as sellers that have a tough time getting their list price are likely to drop it. However, if sellers keep dropping their prices in a market, it can start a downward spiral, meaning your home price could fall below what you paid for it. Talking with a good local agent is a good place to start if you’re looking to buy and want to get the temperature of a certain area. Here are the cities in which it’s hardest to sell a home.

• Median list price in 2022: $218,231
• Median sale price in 2022: $238,492
• Difference between list price and sale price: $20,261
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 9,889
• Median days on market: 8
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 17.63%
• Median price cut in 2022: 4.35%

• Median list price in 2022: $140,927
• Median sale price in 2022: $134,048
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$6,880
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 984
• Median days on market: 12
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 17.36%
• Median price cut in 2022: 4.41%

• Median list price in 2022: $243,908
• Median sale price in 2022: $209,738
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$34,170
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 1,337
• Median days on market: 27
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 13.08%
• Median price cut in 2022: 3.66%

• Median list price in 2022: $184,463
• Median sale price in 2022: $165,151
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$19,312
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 930
• Median days on market: 11
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 13.79%
• Median price cut in 2022: 5.21%

• Median list price in 2022: $164,833
• Median sale price in 2022: $160,445
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$4,388
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 743
• Median days on market: 7
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 15.90%
• Median price cut in 2022: 5.39%

• Median list price in 2022: $556,652
• Median sale price in 2022: $494,633
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$62,018
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 2,145
• Median days on market: 11
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 26.51%
• Median price cut in 2022: 2.74%

• Median list price in 2022: $213,694
• Median sale price in 2022: $200,369
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$13,325
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 1,200
• Median days on market: 18
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 20.03%
• Median price cut in 2022: 3.78%

• Median list price in 2022: $319,532
• Median sale price in 2022: $297,374
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$22,158
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 966
• Median days on market: 22
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 13.11%
• Median price cut in 2022: 4.45%

• Median list price in 2022: $740,758
• Median sale price in 2022: $627,486
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$113,273
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 1,797
• Median days on market: 20
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 12.47%
• Median price cut in 2022: 4.13%

• Median list price in 2022: $312,249
• Median sale price in 2022: $299,143
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$13,107
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 22,955
• Median days on market: 12
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 18.70%
• Median price cut in 2022: 3.14%

• Median list price in 2022: $124,973
• Median sale price in 2022: $130,840
• Difference between list price and sale price: $5,868
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 1,138
• Median days on market: 10
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 20.67%
• Median price cut in 2022: 4.56%

• Median list price in 2022: $252,411
• Median sale price in 2022: $238,464
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$13,946
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 738
• Median days on market: 43
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 6.30%
• Median price cut in 2022: 4.00%

• Median list price in 2022: $1,024,354
• Median sale price in 2022: $761,976
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$262,378
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 464
• Median days on market: 10
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 12.70%
• Median price cut in 2022: 4.04%

• Median list price in 2022: $156,277
• Median sale price in 2022: $173,909
• Difference between list price and sale price: $17,633
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 1,018
• Median days on market: 9
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 19.54%
• Median price cut in 2022: 5.06%

• Median list price in 2022: $160,633
• Median sale price in 2022: $150,212
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$10,422
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 734
• Median days on market: 15
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 16.17%
• Median price cut in 2022: 4.99%

• Median list price in 2022: $203,746
• Median sale price in 2022: $206,905
• Difference between list price and sale price: $3,159
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 5,054
• Median days on market: 14
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 18.80%
• Median price cut in 2022: 4.46%

• Median list price in 2022: $595,779
• Median sale price in 2022: $483,191
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$112,588
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 12,577
• Median days on market: 15
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 14.93%
• Median price cut in 2022: 3.71%

• Median list price in 2022: $313,054
• Median sale price in 2022: $285,514
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$27,540
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 1,710
• Median days on market: 27
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 17.61%
• Median price cut in 2022: 3.62%

• Median list price in 2022: $815,448
• Median sale price in 2022: $674,524
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$140,924
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 1,577
• Median days on market: 11
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 19.54%
• Median price cut in 2022: 3.89%

• Median list price in 2022: $262,956
• Median sale price in 2022: $223,167
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$39,790
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 534
• Median days on market: 26
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 12.57%
• Median price cut in 2022: 4.69%

• Median list price in 2022: $160,775
• Median sale price in 2022: $151,461
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$9,314
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 554
• Median days on market: 18
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 16.98%
• Median price cut in 2022: 4.87%

• Median list price in 2022: $131,602
• Median sale price in 2022: $135,107
• Difference between list price and sale price: $3,505
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 1,089
• Median days on market: 13
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 17.44%
• Median price cut in 2022: 5.51%

• Median list price in 2022: $1,278,167
• Median sale price in 2022: $1,213,559
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$64,607
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 320
• Median days on market: 14
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 13.41%
• Median price cut in 2022: 5.85%

• Median list price in 2022: $179,979
• Median sale price in 2022: $167,933
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$12,046
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 505
• Median days on market: 20
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 16.28%
• Median price cut in 2022: 5.34%

• Median list price in 2022: $617,454
• Median sale price in 2022: $557,381
• Difference between list price and sale price: -$60,073
• Average number of homes on the market in 2022: 28,532
• Median days on market: 28
• Percentage of listings with price cut: 11.42%
• Median price cut in 2022: 4.01%

Jordan Rosenfeld contributed to the reporting for this article.

Methodology: GOBankingRates analyzed the 190 largest metropolitan housing markets for which Zillow provides complete data to find the 25 hardest places to sell a home. GOBankingRates first found the 2022 average median list price and 2022 average median sale price for homes in each metropolitan area by averaging Zillow’s monthly estimates of each figure for January through August 2022. Then, GOBankingRates calculated the (1) typical difference between the list and sale price for homes in each area in 2022. GOBankingRates then similarly analyzed Zillow’s monthly estimates of other housing market metrics to find each metro area’s (2) average housing market inventory in 2022, (3) 2022 average median number of days homes spent on the market, (4) 2022 average share of listings that took a price cut while on the market, and (5) 2022 average median price cut taken by homes on the market, measured as a percent of the prior list price. All cities were then scored against each other and ranked, with a larger difference between list and sale prices, larger housing market inventory, greater typical number of days spent on the market, greater share of listings taking a price cut, and larger price cuts taken indictaing places where it is more difficult to sell a home. Zillow’s smoothed estimates for single family residences were used for all metrics. In the calculation of final scores, factor (2) was weighted half as heavily as all other factors. All data was compiled on and up to date as of September 27, 2022.