I think agents need to prepare sellers for a longer time on the market when they list their homes. I’m seeing so many more houses on the market for a longer period of time than was usual, even last year at this time.

Both buyers and sellers in the Seattle area are used to sales that happen quickly when a house is listed, and that does still happen when a house is priced well, looks great and suits a lot of buyers. But now we are seeing perfectly good houses stay on the market 60, 90, 120 days, especially when they are over the median price range. It’s time for buyers to stop judging houses by how long they’ve been on the market–stop asking what’s wrong with this house–and just go see it. There is very likely nothing wrong. And it’s time for sellers to be a bit more patient with the process–we’ve had it easy for a long time now.
There is not automatically something wrong with your agent if your house doesn’t sell in 30 days like it would have a year ago. That being said, there are ways to increase the probability of selling your house in 30 days–price it right and market it like crazy in the first couple of weeks. Staged, good looking homes sell quicker. Get all the way ready before listing. Make the most of the first two weeks. And then be patient because the purchase requires a buyer, and they are just now coming out to buy in greater numbers.