A Home Has Been Sitting for Months in Montgomery, AL. Red Flag or Opportunity?

I'm Britt Dowling, a real estate agent with Real Broker LLC in Montgomery, Alabama, and on a home sitting on the market in Montgomery, AL my answer is usually opportunity, as long as you do the homework first. A long time on the market here says less about the house than most buyers assume.

Here's the number that surprises people. Across 2025 closed sales in Montgomery, Prattville, Pike Road and Wetumpka, the median home took 54 days to go under contract. Almost half of them, 46%, took more than 60 days. In Pike Road the median was 69 days. So a listing that's been up for two months isn't an outlier around here. It's the middle of the pack.

Does Time on the Market Actually Cost the Seller?

Some, and that's where your leverage lives. Looking at those same 2025 closings, homes that sold in the first week closed at about 99.6% of list price. Homes that took more than six months closed at about 96.8%. That gap is under three percentage points, or roughly $9,000 on a $300,000 house.

Worth negotiating for. Not the fire sale a lot of buyers show up expecting. You can see what's currently price reduced across the area here.

Why Hasn't the Home Sold Yet?

Usually one of five things.

1. It launched overpriced. The most common reason by far. Even after a cut, the listing carries the history of having sat.
2. The marketing was weak. Dark photos, no floor plan, a thin description. The house shows better in person than online.
3. The condition narrowed the buyer pool. A dated kitchen is one thing. An aging roof, water intrusion or foundation movement is another, and those reach into insurance and financing.
4. An earlier contract fell apart. Could be a failed inspection. Could just as easily be the buyer's loan or a short appraisal. Ask which.
5. The timing was off. Listed over a holiday, or the same week several similar homes hit.

Only one of those five is a problem with the house.

What to Ask Before You Write the Offer

• How long has it been listed, counting any earlier listing periods?
• When did the price change, and by how much?
• Has it been under contract before, and why did that end?
• Are disclosures, inspection reports or repair invoices available?
• Are there known insurance or financing concerns?
• How does today's price compare with recent nearby closings, not with the original asking price?

Those answers separate a marketing problem from a property problem.

Don't Assume a Desperate Seller

Plenty of sellers have equity and no deadline. Others are already at the number they need for their next purchase. A lowball with nothing behind it usually ends the conversation before it starts. Build the offer on recent comparable closings, the condition of the house and what the seller actually needs.

If you're watching a listing that's been sitting, send me the address. I'll pull the full history and tell you which of the five reasons it is. More on how I work with buyers across the area in my guide to choosing a realtor in the River Region.