How to Refresh, Rebrand & Reposition Languishing Listings

When listings have been on the market for too long, some agents reignite interest by refreshing the photos or adjusting the price. Others double down on marketing to ramp up exposure.

Ocala-based Rhonda Gailey, broker of Gailey Enterprises Real Estate, showcases her listings on TV. “For high-net listings or even a listing that needs a little bit of a bump, I will somehow incorporate it into my show, to get a 45-million-viewer reach,” says Gailey, who hosts “Selling Coastal” on HGTV. “It’s just one more tool to re-engage buyers.”

The Emmy-nominated series features luxury homes, waterfront estates and real estate tied to a specific lifestyle—such as equestrian properties—throughout Florida. Gailey says weaving select listings into the show puts them in front of buyers who might have missed them—and creates emotional connections. “It’s not just about showing a house,” she says. “It’s about showing a lifestyle.”

Most agents don’t have a TV platform, but they are finding creative ways to breathe new life into stagnant listings. According to real estate expert Garry Creath, founder of The Paperless Agent, it starts with the basics.

“Ultimately, every listing comes down to the three Ps: Preparation, Pricing and Promotion,” he says.

When a home isn’t selling, something in that mix is off—and it needs to be addressed weekly, not months into the listing. What causes clients to walk away, Creath says, often isn’t just a stale listing, it’s the sense that their agent didn’t do anything.

His advice: Have a plan, follow through and clearly communicate your progress. Weekly communication is important, he says.

“If you’re not sharing what you’re doing, and what’s happening in the marketplace, sellers quickly lose confidence.” He recommends updating sellers every week with what’s been done, any feedback that has been received and what actions will be taken next.

Here’s how agents around the state are making sure their listings don’t sit too long.

Tell the story, target the buyer

Beyond her show, Gailey’s brokerage, with offices in Ocala, Jacksonville, Orlando, Tampa, Sarasota, the Florida Keys, Atlanta and Canton, Georgia, takes a lifestyle-centered approach to marketing that helps listings stand out. Her marketing team captures extensive video and photo content during each listing shoot that tells the story of the home and the community around it. “We schedule a half-day to full-day media shoot so we have enough content to push out over the life of the listing,” she says. It includes professional-quality photos, horizontal and vertical videos, and lifestyle clips that give her team ample content to continuously promote the property via social media, YouTube, email campaigns and real estate listing sites.

“Sometimes people connect more with the story than the house itself,” she says. Storytelling and lifestyle marketing are key elements of the “promotion” pillar, Creath says. “If the marketing doesn’t evolve along with buyer expectations, the listing risks losing momentum.”

Gailey also uses data-driven targeting to reach high-net-worth buyers who may not even be actively looking for property.

That means analyzing search behavior, demographics and event attendance to identify possible prospects—and market directly to them. Her brokerage also uses geofencing, which involves creating a virtual perimeter around an event or location that lets them market to attendees afterwards. They typically use this technique for luxury events, such as the recent Longines World Equestrian Center gala in Ocala, where multimillion-dollar horse owners gathered.

Gailey also builds targeted ad campaigns and cross-references prospective buyers in her 100,000-contact database.

“It’s almost old-school prospecting with new-school tools,” she says. “Once we find a match, we’ll personally call, text or email about the listing.” By combining advanced marketing techniques with direct outreach, Gailey says her team often puts previously stagnant listings under contract within days. “At the end of the day, marketing is what makes the difference,” Gailey says. “You have to stay creative, stay aggressive and meet the buyers where they are.”

Fix the flaws

For Silvia Mozer, reigniting interest starts with looking at what might be turning buyers off.

“I recently put a house under contract that had a dark navy interior,” says the sales associate with RE/MAX Elite in Melbourne. After two minor price reductions failed to generate interest, the buyer finally agreed to repaint. “I told them, ‘It’s not the price; it’s how the buyers experience this home,’” she says.

Mozer says the lack of feedback from buyer’s agents contributed to the lack of offers. Eventually, two agents cited the paint colors as off-putting.

“The owners decided to paint, and a week later it sold very close to full asking price,” she says. After the paint color change, she emailed buyer’s agents who had previously shown the home and followed up with other agents whose buyers were looking for properties at that price point.

Mozer, who specializes in residential single-family homes, acreage and new construction in Viera, Melbourne, Rockledge and waterfront communities along the Space Coast, says success often comes down to presentation. She also believes that treating the listing like a fresh launch is often key to generating interest. When a home lingers without activity, she reassesses everything from the asking price to the photos and online description.

Creath also stresses the importance of refreshing staging, lighting and lifestyle visuals when a listing needs a second chance. “Small upgrades can modernize the perception of a home and make buyers experience it differently,” he says.

Mozer adds, “I update the photos, rewrite the description and enhance the presentation.” She recommends leading with the strongest images—such as picturesque views and outdoor living spaces—and limiting repetitive shots of kitchens and living rooms.

If a property is vacant or buyers have trouble seeing past the owner’s dated décor or color scheme, Mozer will recommend digital staging or new photography to help refresh its image. She also stresses the importance of including a floor plan, videos and even 3D tours so buyers can quickly decide if the layout fits their needs.

Beyond visuals, Mozer says it’s crucial to openly communicate with the seller. She regularly shares market updates and feedback so the seller understands why changes might be needed. “When sellers see the effort I’m putting in, they’re more open to refreshing the home or considering a price adjustment,” she says.

Creath says he learned that lesson early in his career. At his very first closing, the seller pointed to his commission check and said, “That’s the easiest commission you’ll ever earn.” Creath realized the seller had no idea how much work he had put in behind the scenes. “I promised myself that I would always communicate what I was doing—and make sure the seller knew it, too,” he says.

Tracking data like views, showings and saved searches helps Mozer know when it’s time to pivot.

Reassessing price data is equally important, Creath notes.

He advises reanalyzing comparable sales from the past 30 to 60 days—not just relying on older comps—to spot shifts in the market. Mozer reminds sellers that a small investment now, such as repainting or staging, can help protect their equity in the long run.

“This is a team effort,” she says. To spread the word and re-engage buyers, Mozer uses social media campaigns, short-form videos, voice-over tours and SEO-optimized YouTube content. “It’s important to show the changes and explain why buyers should take another look,” she says, “I promote listings not just locally but in regions where my buyers typically come from.”

She posts in English, Portuguese and Spanish to reach a wider audience and uses targeted ads to connect with first-time buyers, veterans and people relocating from out of state.

A brand refresh

When Brian Loebker, a sales associate with Michael Saunders & Company in Sarasota, gets a price adjustment from the seller, he sees it as an opportunity to reintroduce the property as if it were a brand-new listing. “The MLS and IDX feeds notify buyers and agents who have alerts set up—and this is your one shot for making them stop and look again,” he says.

Creath recommends refreshing the listing’s visuals and description before adjusting the price. Loebker does just that. He refreshes the listing’s entire presentation before making a price change go live. He reorganizes the order of the photos, swaps out the lead or “hero” image, updates the description with punchier “sticky” copy and, when possible, retakes photos to show the home in a new light. “The last thing you should ever do is change the price first. Change everything else first so it feels new when that alert goes out,” he says.

Rather than relying solely on price cuts, Loebker looks for creative ways to move high-end inventory. He might persuade the seller to offer closing-cost assistance or rate buydowns, for example, but he believes the real difference is in how the property is presented. “In this market, you don’t lower your standards—you raise your strategy,” he says.

Loebker prides himself on obsessive attention to detail, from clearing gutters to sharpening the listing description. “It’s not about shouting louder; it’s about doing every detail right,” he says.

Hosting events, relaunching with cinematic visuals and shifting the focus to lifestyle are all strategies he uses to revive listings that have started to wither. One of his most effective tools is curating experiences that match a property’s style and target audience. For one listing, he partnered with a yacht brokerage and an Aston Martin dealership to host a backyard event at a waterfront listing. He says this gave high-end buyers an opportunity to see firsthand the lifestyle the property offered.

“You can’t always rely on photos or standard marketing to convey what makes a home special,” he says. “Sometimes you have to create the story in real life.” He often ties his events to causes like the Humane Society, Save the Sea Turtles or local nonprofits. At one event for a home with a fenced-in yard, he brought in a dozen adoptable puppies. “It helped the charity, and everyone who posted about it on social media helped spread the word,” he says. “You’re helping people—and building a marketing army at the same time.”

Loebker also runs targeted social media campaigns, repackages content into short-form videos and reels and uses retargeting to focus on prospects who show genuine interest, while targeting his advertising globally to attract international buyers. “Florida remains the No. 1 state for international real estate,” he says. “According to NAR, 20% of international buyers chose the state in 2024.”

Emphasize uniqueness

When a property isn’t moving, Diane Litzinger, a sales associate with RE/MAX Crown Realty in Vero Beach, looks beyond basic marketing. She focuses on what makes the listing stand out—especially in neighborhoods where it’s competing with similar homes. Over the past five years, she has farmed The Isles at Waterway Village, a community she knows inside and out. This has given her insight into what helps a listing outshine the competition, and she makes sure every home is expertly marketed with professional photos, aerial shots and videos. “I do the whole gamut,” she says.

Still, even with strong marketing, some homes need a boost. “Let’s say you’ve gone a week and there are no listing appointments or you have open houses and only one or two people come,” she says. “At that point you’ve got to point out why this house is better than the one two doors down. If it’s a resale, make sure the home is clean because if [potential buyers] see the owners were proactive in maintaining it, they’ll be more comfortable buying it.”

Beyond cleanliness, Litzinger encourages sellers to highlight any distinct features that set their home apart. Whether it’s a recent remodel, custom built-ins or designer touches such as Gucci chandeliers or Japanese toilets, she makes sure buyers are aware of the distinction. “You’ve got to have a description that points out what makes this house different,” she adds. Even small touches—like extra storage, a safe room or a private cul-de-sac location—can tip a hesitant buyer’s decision when inventory is high.

Litzinger’s role begins well before the listing goes live—and continues long after the closing table. “If I can’t help people, then I don’t need to be in this business,” she says. She often assists clients with tasks like finding cleaners, selling furniture or checking on vacant homes for out-of-town owners. “I don’t just close a transaction and walk away—they become my friends,” she says.

In the end, says Creath, keeping a listing fresh isn’t about gimmicks. “If a home’s not selling, it’s because something’s off with preparation, pricing or promotion—and that has to be addressed every single week,” he explains. “The agents who stay proactive and communicate what they’re doing are the ones who keep momentum alive.” That’s how you move a property from stuck to sold, he says. #