Expired Listing in Santa Rosa? Here’s What Went Wrong and How We Sell It
If you have an expired listing in Santa Rosa, the house usually isn’t what failed. The plan did.
I’m Erika Frey, a Realtor with W Real Estate in Sonoma County. This past year I sold multiple homes that had expired with another agent after sitting on the market for six months or longer. I’d like to show you what I would do differently with yours.
Call or text me at 707-888-0212 for a free expired listing review. There’s no cost and no pressure.
Why Homes in Santa Rosa Sit and Expire
Putting your home on the MLS isn’t a marketing strategy. It’s just the starting line.
When a home sits, it’s rarely bad luck. It usually comes down to a few things:
- Photos that didn’t stand out online, where buyers decide whether to visit
- Marketing that stopped at the MLS
- Open houses with a sign out front and not much else
- A price that didn’t match what buyers were seeing
- Too little communication, so you never really knew what buyers thought
Some homes get all the attention while others just sit. The difference is how they’re marketed.
Selling It the Second Time Is More Challenging. Here’s How I Handle That.
I’ll be honest with you: relaunching an expired listing is harder than launching a new one, and it puts more pressure on me to get it right.
Buyers who were searching last time may have already seen your home online and scrolled past. Getting them to look again takes more than double the marketing.
That’s why new photography and new marketing materials are a must. When a buyer sees completely different pictures, they often think, “Maybe I haven’t seen this one. Let’s go look.”
Timing matters too. If the market hasn’t changed since your home was last listed, a relaunch can take longer. If the market has softened, it’s harder still. I plan for six months to sell an expired listing. When it’s done right, you may not need that long.
What Changed for the Expired Homes I’ve Sold
Every expired home I’ve sold had sat for six months or longer with another agent. Here’s what changed when I took over:
- New photos and a new online experience, so the home looked fresh to buyers
- Wider reach, putting it in front of more buyers than before
- Steady communication, so my sellers always knew where things stood
My sellers told me they found my launch plan more effective and my communication better than what they’d had before. In each case, the right buyer had been out there all along. They just hadn’t really seen the home yet.
My Relaunch Plan: The Everywhere Strategy
I don’t just list homes. I launch them. Here’s what I pay for on every listing:
- Professional photography, video, and drone photos when the property calls for it
- Targeted ads on Instagram and Facebook to reach local and Bay Area buyers
- A feature in my At Home in Sonoma County newsletter, which goes to 1,400+ local subscribers
- Open houses I promote before the doors ever open
- Broker tours, plus personal invitations to top agents and their buyers
- Private cross-brokerage agent groups
- Signs, MLS promotion, a feature on my website, and online ads that follow up with people searching for homes in your area
For homes worth $800,000 or more, I also pay for premium placement:
- $800,000 to $1 million: A Realtor.com Spotlight listing for the full length of your listing, which helps keep your home on the first page of Realtor.com. That’s an $800 value.
- Over $1 million: The Realtor.com Spotlight plus a Zillow Showcase listing, which is another $750.
Few agents pay for this kind of placement. Next time you’re on Realtor.com, notice how few Spotlight listings you see. Not every agent is willing to spend what it really takes to market a home.
Here’s how well it can work. Last year I had a listing that was truly one of a kind, not the kind of home most buyers are searching for. I knew it might take a while to find the right buyer.
We were priced well and the marketing was strong, but we went two months without a single showing. So I paid $800 for a Realtor.com Spotlight listing.
Within the next 30 days, we had four showings and two offers.
Realtor.com says Spotlight listings get two to three times more views. Every week, they sent my seller and me a report showing how many people were looking at the home, and we watched the clicks climb.
It’s expensive, and that’s why most agents don’t do it. I do, because it works.
Showings Are a Guest Experience
Before real estate, I spent more than 20 years managing high-end hospitality and Michelin-starred restaurants in Healdsburg. That work taught me how much the first few minutes matter.
A buyer walking into your home is a guest. What they see and feel from the front door decides whether they stay long enough to picture themselves living there.
I bring that same eye to your relaunch. If your home needs a little work before it goes back on the market, I keep a list of local vendors I’ve personally used for junk hauling, landscaping, and renovations.
What It Costs You
Nothing up front. I cover the marketing costs, and I’m paid at closing.
Your Free Expired Listing Review
Here’s what we’ll go over together:
- A walkthrough of your home
- A written price analysis based on what’s selling now
- A close look at your old listing: the photos, the marketing, and the showing history
- A plan showing exactly how I would market your home differently
Call or text 707-888-0212, or email realtorerikafrey@gmail.com.
Not Sure Relisting Is Right?
That’s a fair question after a listing expires.
I’m a landlord myself, so if you’re wondering whether to rent your home out instead, I can walk you through what that involves.
And if you need to sell so you can buy your next home, that’s one of my specialties. I help clients sell and buy at the same time, and we’ll plan both moves together.
Why Santa Rosa Sellers Work With Me
- Realtor since 2019 with W Real Estate, DRE #02089042
- Commitment to Excellence (CTE) designation
- 25 five-star Google reviews
- A solo agent: you work with me directly, from the first call to closing
- Experience with residential, investment, vacation rental, land, probate and trust, renovation, and distressed properties
What My Clients Say
“I worked with Erika Frey to sell my home in Santa Rosa, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Erika really understands the Santa Rosa real estate market and knows how to position a home to attract the right buyers. From pricing and marketing to negotiations and closing, she was knowledgeable, responsive, and professional throughout the process.
If you’re looking for a Santa Rosa Realtor or Sonoma County real estate agent to help you sell your home, I highly recommend Erika. She made the entire process straightforward and kept me informed every step of the way.” — Chris
“Erika is such an amazing realtor. She is so knowledgeable and made my husband and I feel so comfortable. We had a lot of questions and she had great answers and advice. I loved the extra time she spent with us.” — Erin Patterson
Expired Listing FAQ
Why didn’t my house sell?
It’s usually a mix of price, presentation, and how many buyers actually saw it. In your free review, I go through your old listing to find where it stalled, so the new plan is built on what really happened.
When can I hire a new agent?
Once your listing agreement with your previous agent has ended. Check the end date on your agreement.
Should I just lower the price?
Not automatically. Price may be part of the answer, but it’s rarely the only part. We’ll look at the price, the photos, and the marketing together before deciding anything.
How long will it take to sell the second time?
I plan for six months. When the relaunch is done right, you may not need that long.
What does it cost to relist with you?
Nothing up front. I cover the marketing costs, and I’m paid at closing.
Will buyers know my home was listed before?
Some will, since listing history shows up online. That’s exactly why new photos and new marketing matter so much: they give buyers a reason to take a fresh look.
Should I rent it out instead?
Maybe. I’m a landlord myself, so I can walk you through both paths before you decide.
I need to sell before I can buy. Can you help with both?
Yes. Helping clients sell one home and buy the next at the same time is one of my specialties.
Ready for a Fresh Start?
Your home deserves a real launch, not a repeat of last time. Let’s look at what happened and build a plan that gets it sold.
Call or text me at 707-888-0212, or email realtorerikafrey@gmail.com
*not intended for homes that are still actively listed