May 18, 2026
In the same way many people love to upload their selfies to the r/Rateme subreddit (1) to crowdsource comments on their looks from strangers, the same thing is now playing out with properties. Homeowners who are struggling to sell are turning to subreddits like r/RealEstateAdvice (2) for public perspectives.
Krystle Parkins from Indianapolis is one such seller. Her six-bedroom house had been on the market for two months with zero offers, she told MarketWatch (3) — even with desirable features like a new roof, new windows, and a pool. So, she posted her listing on Reddit (NYSE: RDDT) asking for advice.
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Parkins received about 400 replies, ranging from insulting to inspiring, including "it looks very cheap" and "don't take pics with towels on hooks and clean out that laundry room."
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Parkins heeded all the tough love, including from one stranger who gave her suggestions for every room in the house in a direct message. She decluttered, invested in new staging photos and dropped the price from $650,000 to $574,999. She's finally getting bites, with more people saving her listing on Zillow and at least one scheduled showing.
She's not alone in taking to online forums to do a temperature check. Another Reddit user (4) claimed his house had been on the market for over a year, with many showings but no offers. Some commenters tried to reassure the user, with one saying "many showings and zero offers usually isn't price. It's almost always the condition, smell, layout, feel or something that hits different in person vs. photos." Others offered suggestions, with one user advising "you could try to stage it a bit. If nothing else, remove that shower curtain. It looks cold and unwelcoming."
Slower season for sellers
According to Redfin (5), the US is experiencing the strongest buyer's market in over a decade. As of late 2025, there were over 36% more sellers than buyers in the US. When buyers have the upper hand, sellers need to get strategic and recalibrate expectations.
As of April, mortgage rates are hovering at 6.37%, up from 2.98% (6) on the same date six years ago. High gas prices, inflation and global uncertainty are also influencing buyer behavior. Rates also affect sellers who plan to buy again, as they could face a higher-rate mortgage on their next purchase, according to Daryl Fairweather (7), chief economist at Redfin.
"It's really hard for sellers to swallow that the market has changed so much since 2022," Fairweather told MarketWatch.
Fairweather did not immediately respond to Moneywise's request for further comment.
On the national level, nearly 1 in 5 homes were sold within seven days in February, according to Zillow (8). In the fastest markets — St. Louis, Hartford and Seattle — more than one in three homes sold that quickly.
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The market, the house, the price
With buyers having the luxury to be more selective, sellers must meet the market where it currently is and understand it's not the same conditions as the 2020 feeding frenzy. It can be emotionally and financially difficult for a house to be sitting on the market for weeks or months, but in a buyer's market, the preparation makes all the difference.
Future sellers could still leverage Reddit communities but consider sharing photos before a listing is live. Just take comments from strangers with a grain of salt. One person might find vintage tiles charming and full of character, while another might see them as outdated and in need of replacing.
While sellers can't influence the market, they can control the condition of the house and the price. Those are the two variables within their control.
Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
Reddit (1),(2),(4); MarketWatch (3),(7); Redfin (5); Federal Reserve Economic Data (6); Zillow (8)
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Amanda Smith is an Australian freelance journalist and writer based in the New York City area who reports on culture/society, technology, and health.
