Question of the Week: My House Isn't Selling. What Could Be Wrong?

Every week I answer a real question from a buyer or seller here in the Hill Country, and this one shows up in my inbox more than any other right now: "My house isn't selling. What could be wrong?" If that is you, take a breath. It is almost never about the house being a bad house. It is about the house not being positioned for a market that has changed.

What Could Be Wrong With Your Price?

Start here, because this is the most common answer. In a market with this much inventory, buyers compare every home to the one next door, and they have the time to do it. In Hays County, homes sold at about 93.4% of their list price in July 2026, and in New Braunfels, homes have been closing at roughly 92.5% of their original list price. If your price sits above what the market says your home is worth, buyers scroll right past it. The first few weeks on market matter most, and a price that is too high at the start just means chasing the market down later while your days on market keep climbing.

Are You Competing With 14.6 Months of Inventory?

Here is the big-picture number. Canyon Lake's 78133 ZIP code has roughly 14.6 months of housing supply as of September 2026, about three times the 5.1-month national average, and active listings in the Canyon Lake area have topped 1,000 this year. That makes it one of the strongest buyer's markets in the country, and it is not alone in the Hill Country. Wimberley has run around 7.9 months of supply, and New Braunfels has sat near 6.6 to 7.3 months. Across Texas, the September 2026 report from the Texas Real Estate Research Center describes elevated inventory and restrained demand. What that means for you as a seller is simple: buyers have choices, so your home has to earn a closer look.

How Does Your Home Show Compared to the Homes Selling Nearby?

When inventory is high, presentation separates the homes that sell from the homes that sit. Condition is the first filter: deferred maintenance, dated kitchens, worn flooring, and cluttered rooms all read loudly in listing photos. The second filter is how the home photographs and markets online, because that is where almost every buyer forms their first impression. The homes that are actually moving in this market are the ones that are priced right, in good condition, and presented like a home a buyer can picture themselves in. If showings are slow, ask for honest feedback from every agent who walks through. That feedback is free market research.

What Are Mortgage Rates Doing to Buyer Demand?

Mortgage rates are part of this story, and they deserve a straight answer. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.95% in the week ending September 17, 2026, up from 6.26% a year earlier, according to Freddie Mac. That rise is real and it is shrinking the number of buyers who can qualify at your price point. When rates climb, some sellers respond by adjusting price or offering buyer concessions, like closing cost assistance or a temporary rate buydown, to keep the monthly payment within reach. A home priced and packaged for today's rate environment will always draw more traffic than one priced for last year's.

What Should You Do Right Now to Get Your Home Sold?

First, get a realistic, data-backed pricing opinion from an agent who sells in your neighborhood, not an online estimate. Second, compare your home honestly against the active listings it competes with: price per square foot, condition, lot, view, and water access where that matters. Third, if you have been on the market more than 30 days without real showings, take it seriously. In this market, a price adjustment early beats a big reduction later, and so does a fresh round of professional photos and honest staging. Around Canyon Lake and the Hill Country, buyers also weigh the details that do not show in a listing: septic and well condition, floodplain, HOA rules, and water access. Missing information reads as risk, and risk makes buyers move on.

“A home that isn't selling is almost never a bad house. It is a home that is priced, presented, or positioned for a market that no longer exists. Fix that, and the buyers show up.”

Why Work With an Agent Who Knows This Market?

This is where experience pays for itself. With nearly four decades in Central Texas real estate and a background in mortgage banking, I know what a buyer's financing will actually support, how to price a home for a 14.6-month supply market, and what to fix before a single showing. I have listed and sold homes from Canyon Lake to Wimberley to New Braunfels, and I will tell you plainly whether the problem is price, condition, or timing. Sometimes the honest answer is that waiting is the better play. You deserve that honesty before you drop more money into a home that is positioned wrong.

Have a real estate question of your own? Ask Steve anytime at the Ask Steve page below, and I will do my best to answer it in a future Question of the Week. No question is too small, and Steve is available 24/7 for the questions that cannot wait.