Then Monday morning my phone rang.
The sellers had changed their mind. They wanted to pull the listing and wait until fall. When I asked why, they said they weren't sure they were getting enough interest.
I want you to sit with that for a second — because it's more common than you'd think.
Showings were strong. Buyers were engaged. The listing was doing exactly what it was supposed to do. But because an offer hadn't materialized in the first 72 hours, panic set in.
They pulled the listing.
What happened next.
Six months later they listed again. Same house. Same price. But the energy was completely different. Fewer showings. Less urgency. Buyers who were curious but not motivated. The momentum that May had given them — that natural surge of activity that comes with peak season — was gone.
It took twice as long to sell. And the outcome wasn't better for the wait.
Why May is different.
May is when buyers are out in force in Salida. They've been planning since winter. They're pre-approved, they know what they want, and they're ready to move. The traffic you get in May — the showings, the interest, the energy — is real. It's not casual browsing. These are people who are ready to buy.
That traffic doesn't show up the same way in October.
What sellers need to understand about the first 72 hours.
The first few days on the market are about exposure, not offers. You're getting in front of buyers, generating interest, and building momentum. An offer in the first 72 hours is great — but the absence of one isn't a red flag. It's just the process working the way it's supposed to.
Pulling a listing because you haven't seen an offer in three days is like leaving a party at 7pm and deciding it wasn't worth going to.
The lesson.
May rewards sellers who stay the course. Price it right, present it well, and trust the process long enough for the right buyer to find it.
