Why Homes in Midwood Brooklyn Sit on the Market So Long — and How to Avoid It
Midwood homes average over 130 days on the market. That’s more than twice the national average.
It’s not because Midwood is undesirable. It’s because most sellers make the same few mistakes — and those mistakes are
very fixable.
We’ve sold homes in this neighborhood for years. Here’s what we actually see.
The Number One Reason: Copying a Neighbor’s Price
It seems logical. Your neighbor’s house down the block sold for $1.2M, so yours should too.
Except their lot is 10 feet wider. Their zoning allows an extra floor. They have a finished basement you don’t. Or —
and this happens more than you’d think — their listing sat for 8 months before they dropped the price.
Midwood pricing is block-by-block, not neighborhood-wide. What sold on East 10th Street is not the same comp as what
will sell on your block.
Price Bands Are a Bigger Deal Than People Realize
If your home is listed at $1.05M, you’re invisible to every buyer searching between $900K and $999K.
That’s not a small pool. That’s often the largest group of active buyers in your price range.
Most sellers price on round numbers — $1M, $1.1M, $1.2M. The smarter move is pricing inside the search bands that real
buyers use. Sometimes a $975K list price outperforms a $1.05M list price in both speed and final sale number.
This is buyer psychology. It’s not complicated, but it’s rarely explained.
Timing in Midwood Works Differently
Spring works everywhere. But Midwood has its own rhythm too.
Post-Sukkot and post-Passover typically see pickup in buyer activity — families who’ve been waiting for the holidays
to pass before making a major decision. Listing just before those windows, rather than during them, tends to generate
more momentum.
Most agents don’t track this. We do.
What Actually Gets a Midwood Home Moving
Three things, done right:
1. Honest, data-backed pricing — not what you hope to get, but what the market will pay based on your specific block,
lot, condition, and buyer pool.
2. Targeted marketing — Midwood has a community buyer pool. Generic MLS exposure is not enough. Your listing needs to
reach the right families, through the right channels.
3. Patience, but not passivity — a properly priced, well-marketed home in Midwood does sell. It just needs someone who
knows the market, not someone who guesses at it.
—We’ve helped sellers in Midwood avoid the mistakes that turn a 60-day sale into a 6-month ordeal. If you’re
thinking about selling, let’s talk — https://thebehfarteam.com or (347) 988-2526.
