The short version: Of 69,090 Austin-area homes that ended unsold in Unlock MLS (2018–April 2025), about 4 in 10 came back within 6 months; 55% stayed with the same agent and 41% moved to a new brokerage. At the same time off market and price change, new-brokerage relists sold within 12 months 66% of the time vs 52% for same-agent relists (27% more likely); in 2023–25, 57% vs 46%. The sale price was no better: about 6% under the old final list price either way. Quick same-agent relists within 30 days did worst. Same-agent relists that added a new co-listing agent sold 54% vs 43% in 2023–25. Correlation, not proof.
A listing expires or gets pulled. The seller is frustrated, the agent is frustrated, and somebody asks the obvious question: would a different agent have sold it? We pulled every unsold home in Unlock MLS from 2018 through April 2025, 69,090 of them, and followed what happened next.
What Happens After a Listing Ends
- About 4 in 10 come back on the market within 6 months.
- Of those, 55% stay with the same agent and 41% move to a new brokerage. The other 3% go to a different agent at the same brokerage, and those sold about as often as a brokerage switch.
- A new brokerage usually starts lower: 57% of the time overall, and 63–68% of the time in 2023–25, with a median cut of about 2–3% in recent years.
New Brokerage Relists Sold 27% More Often
Here’s the part everyone wants to know. We compared homes that came back with the same agent to homes that came back with a new brokerage, matching them on how long they were off the market and how much the price changed. That way a bigger price cut doesn’t get the credit.
- Sold within 12 months: 66% with a new brokerage vs 52% with the same agent. That’s 27% more likely to sell.
- In the slower 2023–25 market: 57% vs 46%, still about 26% more likely.
- The weakest relists were the same agent pulling a listing and putting it right back up within 30 days, which is mostly a days-on-market reset. Those sold 42–54% of the time, vs 65–78% for a new brokerage.
But Not for More Money
This is where people get it wrong. The new brokerage didn’t get a higher price. Either way, the median sale landed about 6% under the old listing’s final price, and it took about the same time to close. A fresh start helped the home sell. It didn’t change what the market would pay.
What This Does and Doesn’t Tell You
It’s a pattern in the data, not proof. The MLS can’t see the seller. Sellers who switch agents may be more motivated, and sellers who stay may be the ones who won’t change anything. Still, the gap holds year after year, and it’s biggest when nothing changes but the listing date.
What I’d Take From It as an Agent
- If your own listing is about to end, have the honest conversation before it expires: what changes this time? Price, presentation, marketing, or the person on it.
- A fresh set of eyes helps even without a handoff. In 2023–25, same-agent relists that added a new co-listing agent sold 54% of the time, vs 43% for agents who relisted alone. Keeping the same co-lister made no difference. What helped was a new person on the listing.
- Skip the quick reset. Pulling a listing and relisting it a week later, with nothing else different, was the weakest move in the data.
- If you’re going after unsold listings, wait until the listing has actually ended. The REALTOR® Code of Ethics (Article 16) is clear: don’t solicit a listing that’s still listed exclusively with another broker.
Our agents get the full playbook in our Knowledge Base: what to say to the seller, the timing, and how to build the relaunch plan.
Source: Unlock MLS resale homes that ended Withdrawn or Expired from January 2018 through April 2025 and were relisted at the same address within 180 days; “sold” means closed within 12 months of the relist. Same-agent rates are reweighted to the new-brokerage mix of time off market and price change. Correlation, not proof. Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed.
Sources
- Unlock MLS resale listings, ended Withdrawn or Expired 2018–April 2025, relisted within 180 days (Jorgenson Real Estate analysis, aggregates only)
- NAR Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice, Article 16
General information, not legal advice. TREC says I can’t practice law, and I like my license. Run your specific situation past your broker or a real estate attorney.
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