Last updated October 29, 2026
What changes when an expired listing is relisted? At 12945 Covington Gardens Drive, not the house, and it still sold for $20,000 more than the price it expired at. The first listing went up in late October, cut its price $10,000 and expired. Six months later we relisted at $189,900 with new photos and no new work, and it went under contract before it ever left Coming Soon. It sold for $200,000. Step into my seat, make the calls, then read what happened.
What changes when an expired listing sells the second time?
Usually not the house. A relaunch works when it changes what buyers saw and when they saw it: the season, the photos and a price set by fresh comps, not by the last price cut. This house expired at $180,000 and, with no new work, sold for $200,000 the next spring.
| Listing | Went up | Photos | Price | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First listing | Monday, October 23, 2023 | Phone photos | $190,000, cut to $180,000 | Expired after 34 days |
| Relaunch | Thursday, May 16, 2024, as Coming Soon | Reshot, same house, no new work | $189,900, set by fresh comps | Under contract June 6 with 0 days on market; sold for $200,000 |
How it went on this sale: The first listing went up Monday, October 23, 2023, at $190,000 with phone photos, took a $10,000 price cut and expired after 34 days. I relisted it Thursday, May 16, 2024, at $189,900. It went under contract June 6 and closed June 28 at $200,000. Why a St. Louis house doesn’t sell →
Why would a house that sat in late fall sell in spring?
Because the buyers are different in number, not in kind. Demand and prices peak in spring, and a house that needs every buyer in its price range should be on the market when the most buyers are looking. This one went up the last week of October and expired around Thanksgiving; the relaunch hit in mid-May.
How it went on this sale: The relaunch went live as Coming Soon on a Thursday in mid-May, with showings set for another Thursday, June 6. It closed June 28, at the peak of the season. Five years of St. Louis seasonal data →
How do you price a relaunch after a price cut didn’t work?
Start over with comps, and treat the old price cut as one data point, not the floor. Look at like-kind homes two ways: where they were listed to draw buyers in, and where they actually sold. Here the comps put the relaunch at $189,900, $9,900 above the price it expired at.
How it went on this sale: I ran the comps the same way I did on Galena: like-kind houses, where they listed to attract demand and where they closed. The relaunch price was $100 under the first listing’s original $190,000, and the house sold $10,100 over it. Pricing a split-level on stale comps →
What do new photos do when nothing about the house changes?
They decide whether buyers book a showing. Online, the photos are the first showing; buyers who don’t like them never see the house. This relaunch had no new work, only a new set of photos of the same rooms, the same deck and the same yard.
How it went on this sale: The seller told me the first listing’s photos were taken on a phone. I went back and reshot the house myself: 25 photos, including the deck and the finished lower level the first listing barely showed. Why the first weekend matters →
How does a house go under contract before it leaves Coming Soon?
By giving buyers a launch date to plan around. Coming Soon puts the listing in front of buyers and agents before showings start, so the ones who want it are ready on day one. This house spent three weeks in Coming Soon and went under contract the day showings were set to begin, with 0 days on market.
How it went on this sale: Coming Soon on Thursday, May 16; showings set for Thursday, June 6; contract signed June 6. Because the house had been off the market more than 30 days, its cumulative days on market started over at zero, so buyers saw a fresh listing, not one that had sat. The St. Louis 30-day relisting rule →
What did the relaunch get the seller?
$20,000 more than the price the house expired at, and $10,100 over the relaunch price, 43 days from Coming Soon to closing.
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| First listing, original price | $190,000 |
| Price it expired at | $180,000 |
| Relaunch price | $189,900 |
| Sale price | $200,000 |
| Over the expired price | $20,000 |
| Seller concessions | $0 |
The house was a 1975 split foyer, 1,300 square feet, three bedrooms and two and a half baths, with a two-car garage and a 2023 tax bill of $2,930. Nothing about it changed between the two listings.
What should a seller with an expired listing take from this sale?
Before you change the house, change what buyers see and when they see it. This one sold for $20,000 more than it expired at with no new work.
Did this house need another price cut?
No. The comps put it $9,900 above where it expired, and buyers paid $10,100 more than that.
Was it worth waiting until spring?
For this seller, yes. The first listing ran from late October to late November. The relaunch came six months later, in mid-May, and went under contract on the first day of showings.
Do the photos matter more than the house?
Not more, but first. Buyers decide whether to see a house from the photos. The same house, reshot, drew a buyer before it ever went active.
Questions This Sale Helps Answer
Did the days on market reset on this relisting?
Yes. The house was off the market for more than 30 days, so it came back with 0 cumulative days on market.
More in this series: Lessons From a Sale · Four offers, a low appraisal, and a close at $271,000 · Three $300,000 offers, sold for $302,000 · Related: Why your house didn’t sell · The 30-day relisting rule · North County
Grew up in South St. Louis, lived in Dogtown for 6 years, now in South County. You’ll find us at Wellspring on Lindbergh on Sundays. I'm not selling you a house — I'm showing you how to think about buying or selling a house.