Why Isn't My Columbus Home Selling?

By Matt Cochrell | October 25, 2026

You did the work. You cleaned, you staged, you went live, and the first weekend was busy. Then it went quiet. Three weeks later your agent is suggesting a price cut and you're wondering what you missed.

Matt Cochrell, broker/owner and REALTOR® with MDC, helps homeowners in Columbus, Powell, Dublin and across Central Ohio sell after their home didn't. Here's what Matt sees in the numbers this fall, and what tends to change the outcome.

What this fall's Columbus numbers say

The Columbus market didn't collapse. It loosened, and that changes how buyers behave.

• More competition. 7,058 active residential listings in September 2026, up 6.3% from a year ago and up 51% from the February low of 4,669.
• More supply relative to sales. 2.71 months of supply, the highest reading in the past 12 months.
• A wider gap between asking and closing. September homes sold at 96.4% of original list but 98.9% of final list. On the $337,000 median sale price, that 2.5-point difference is roughly $12,000 given up through price reductions before the offer came.
• A crowded top end. At $500,000 and up there were 1,916 active listings against 582 September sales, about 3.3 months of supply, compared with about 2.4 months between $300,000 and $499,999.

Source: Columbus & Central Ohio Regional MLS market summary data, residential, October 2025 through September 2026, analyzed by Matt Cochrell.

Read that third point again. The typical seller who closed in September started about 3.6% above where the home actually sold. In a tighter market, buyers would have met that price. In this one, they waited for the cut. That's the single most common reason a Columbus home is sitting right now.

The five reasons a listing stalls

These are general patterns. Your home may have one of them or three. They're worth checking in this order, because the first one is the most common and the cheapest to fix.

1. Price is ahead of the comps. Buyers and their agents compare your home to the handful of similar homes that closed in the last 60 to 90 days, not to what the neighbors are asking. If your price leans on a neighbor's wish rather than a neighbor's closing, the showings stop.
2. The photos aren't earning the tour. Most buyers decide from the first three photos on a phone screen. A dim living room, a cluttered kitchen counter, or an exterior taken at noon in flat light costs more showings than most sellers realize.
3. Exposure is thin. A listing needs full syndication, a description that answers buyer questions, and direct outreach to buyer agents working your price range. A bare MLS entry gets outworked.
4. Timing worked against it. Average days on market in the Columbus MLS ran 24.5 in June and 47 to 50 in January and February. A home that went live heading into the holidays is simply going to take longer. That's a planning problem, not a flaw in the house.
5. Showings are hard to book. Restricted windows, 24-hour notice, or a tenant in place shrink the pool of buyers who ever walk through.

When Matt takes over a listing that sat, the first thing Matt looks at is the gap between the asking price and the last five comparable closings, because that gap explains the silence more often than anything else.

What to change in the next two weeks

• Pull the real comps. Five or six closings, same style and size, within a mile, in the last 90 days. Not actives. Not Zestimates.
• Make one honest adjustment, not three timid ones. A price that drops into a new search bracket (for example, from $415,000 to $399,900) reaches a fresh group of buyers. Three $5,000 trims reach almost no one and signal hesitation.
• Reshoot if the photos are the problem. Twilight exterior, bright interiors, no clutter. It's a few hundred dollars against a $12,000 price cut.
• Rewrite the description to answer the questions buyers ask in person: what's been updated, what's included, what the monthly costs look like.
• Open up showings. Lockbox, short notice, evenings and weekends.

The right mix depends on your home, your price band, and how long you've been listed. That's where a second set of eyes helps.

Common questions

Is 30 days on the market too long in Columbus?

In September 2026 the average home in the Columbus MLS spent about 32 days on the market, and the median was 14. Passing 30 days with few showings is a signal, not a disaster. It means something in price, presentation, or exposure needs to change before the listing goes stale in buyers' minds.

How much should I drop my price?

Enough to land in a new search bracket and enough that the comps support the new number. Sellers who closed in September 2026 gave up about 2.5% between their first and final list price. If the comps say you're 5% high, a 2% trim won't move the needle.

Should I change my photos before I change my price?

If the price is right and the photos are weak, yes. If the price is 5% high, better photos will get you more showings and the same silence afterward. Check the comps first, then the photos.

Will I get more showings in the spring?

Almost certainly. Average days on market in the Columbus MLS dropped from about 50 in February to 24.5 in June 2026. Waiting is a real option for some sellers, but it comes with carrying costs and more competition, since new listings peak in April and May.

The bottom line

In this market, a Columbus home that sits is usually priced for last year's buyers. If you want a second opinion on the price, the photos, and the plan, with no pressure to switch anything, start with Matt's guide to what to do if your Columbus home isn't selling or email Matt at matt@mdclimited.com.

About the author

Matt Cochrell, broker/owner and REALTOR® with MDC, helps homeowners in Columbus, Powell, Dublin and across Central Ohio sell after their home didn't. Matt has been licensed in Ohio since 2004 and holds an MBA and a Master's in Business Analytics. MDC is a full-service Columbus brokerage and property management company at 685 S Front St in the Brewery District. Full guide: home not selling in Columbus.