How to Price and Prepare Your San Antonio Home to Sell in Today’s High-Inventory Market

by Mark Stillings

How do you price and prepare your San Antonio home so it actually sells in today’s high-inventory, buyer-leaning market?

You do it by treating pricing, preparation, and marketing like a strategy—not a guess—based on what’s really happening in San Antonio right now with days on market, inventory, and buyer demand.

What a “High-Inventory” Market Really Looks Like in San Antonio

Before you decide how to sell, you need to understand what you’re selling into.

Here’s what the latest data is telling us:

Redfin shows San Antonio’s median sale price around $258,000, down 2.6% year-over-year, and homes now take about 76 days to sell—up from 58 days a year ago. (Redfin)
Zillow reports an average home value of about $247,000, down 3.3% over the past year, with homes going pending in around 52 days. (Zillow)
Realtor.com puts the median days on market at roughly the mid-70s and notes that the trend has been rising—homes are sitting longer than they did even a few months ago. (Realtor)
A WSJ/Realtor.com market ranking found San Antonio’s inventory in early 2025 was about 46.6% higher than pre-pandemic, while prices were only about 13.9% higher, meaning more competition without huge price gains. (Realtor)
A local brokerage report estimated that in May 2025, there were 10,736 homes for sale, with average days on market around 74, and over half of homes (about 55.6%) selling below asking price. (Levi Rodgers Real Estate Group)

Redfin also ranks San Antonio as the #1 buyer’s market among the 50 largest U.S. metros, with about 117% more sellers than buyers. (Statesman)

In other words:
You’re not just competing with a few neighbors—you’re competing with a lot of listings, and many buyers feel no urgency.

As an Associate Broker who’s spent 18 years helping buyers and sellers in the San Antonio market, I can tell you: in this kind of environment, the homes that win all have two things dialed in—price and presentation.

Let’s break down how you can do the same.

Step 1: Price for the Market You’re Actually In (Not the One You Wish You Were In)

In a high-inventory market, buyers don’t have to chase your home—they have options. Overpricing is the fastest way to become “that” stale listing buyers scroll past.

Use Today’s Data, Not Last Year’s Stories

Right now:

Citywide prices are slightly down, not up. (Redfin)
Many submarkets show longer days on market—for example, some central ZIPs are averaging 97–101 days, while others still move faster in the 30–70 day range. (Realtor)

That means your pricing strategy has to consider:

Your specific area and ZIP code trends
Your price band (lower-priced homes often move faster than upper-tier)
Recent closed sales, not just active listings that haven’t sold

If you price based on the neighbor who “got multiple offers in 48 hours” back in 2022, you’re playing the wrong game.

Aim to Be The Best Value in Your Segment

In a buyer’s market, you don’t have to be the cheapest listing—you have to be the best value when buyers compare:

Price
Condition
Location and features

Practically, that often means:

Pricing in line with or slightly under the most similar competing listings if you want to move within that 60–75 day window
Accepting that in this environment, many homes are selling below asking price—and building that into your strategy upfront, rather than reacting with multiple small reductions over time (Levi Rodgers Real Estate Group)

Think of it this way:
Would you rather chase the market down with a series of price cuts, or start in the right range and attract strong interest in the first few weeks?

Step 2: Prepare Your Home the Way Today’s Buyers Actually Shop

Most buyers’ first showing is on their phone—not at your front door.

On platforms like Zillow, Realtor.com, and Redfin, your home is sitting right next to dozens of competing listings. The ones that get saved, shared, and toured have one thing in common: they’re prepared and photographed like a product, not just a property.

Start with the Basics: Clean, Clear, and Repaired

In this market, buyers are already cautious. High mortgage rates and economic headlines have them scrutinizing every dollar. National reporting, including the Wall Street Journal, notes that buyers are pulling back when homes feel overpriced or like projects. (Wall Street Journal)

You want them to feel exactly the opposite.

Focus on:

Deep cleaning – floors, baseboards, fans, windows, and bathrooms
Decluttering – remove excess furniture, clear counters, simplify shelves
Minor repairs – sticky doors, leaky faucets, chipped paint, loose handles

These aren’t glamorous, but they’re the difference between a buyer thinking, “Nice, move-in ready” or “This house needs work; let’s keep looking.”

Make Your Photos Work as Hard as You Do

When buyers scroll through listings in San Antonio, they’re often comparing 10–20 homes at once. Professional-quality photos are no longer a luxury; they’re how you earn a showing.

Strong listing photos should:

Emphasize light, space, and flow
Capture your home’s best features (vaulted ceilings, updated kitchen, outdoor living, etc.)
Be sequenced to tell a story: curb appeal → main living areas → kitchen → primary bedroom → outdoor space

In a high-inventory market, dark or cluttered photos can effectively price you out of contention—regardless of the number on the listing.

Step 3: Decide Where to Invest (and Where Not To)

Not every upgrade pays off, especially when prices are flat or slightly declining in many San Antonio neighborhoods. (Redfin)

The goal isn’t to make your home “perfect.” It’s to make it competitive.

High-Impact, Market-Smart Improvements

In many cases, the best return comes from:

Fresh, neutral interior paint in key spaces
Updated lighting in main living areas
Landscaping refresh for curb appeal—clean beds, trimmed shrubs, fresh mulch
Small kitchen or bath updates (new hardware, modern faucet, re-caulking, updated mirror or light fixture)

These are relatively affordable compared to full remodels and tend to photograph extremely well.

What to Be Careful About

In a market where:

Inventory has climbed
Days on market have lengthened
And many homes are selling below asking (Realtor)

You want to think twice before taking on:

Major remodels right before listing
Highly personalized, style-specific projects
Big-ticket changes where you’re unlikely to recoup the cost

If you’re considering anything significant, this is where an experienced local agent’s guidance (looking at actual recent sales, not generic ROI charts) can save you real money.

Step 4: Launch Strong—and Manage the First 30–45 Days

In a high-inventory environment, time is part of your pricing story.

We’re seeing:

Citywide average days on market in the 70–80+ day range (Redfin)
Some neighborhoods pushing closer to 90–100 days on average (Realtor)

That doesn’t mean you’re “in trouble” at day 31. But it does mean you and your agent should treat the first month as your “data collection” window.

Watch These Metrics Closely

In the first 30–45 days, pay attention to:

Online views and saves across major portals
Showing activity compared to similar listings
Feedback themes from buyers and agents

If you’re getting consistent feedback like “priced high for the condition” or “better options at the same price,” the market is telling you something important.

Be Willing to Adjust—Strategically, Not Emotionally

Because many San Antonio homes are ultimately closing below asking, smart sellers treat price adjustments as part of the plan, not a personal failure. (Levi Rodgers Real Estate Group)

Sometimes, a targeted price improvement:

Unlocks a new search bracket where more buyers are looking
Signals to the market that you’re serious, not just testing the waters
Helps you beat out competing listings that are still clinging to 2022 expectations

The key is to respond to real data, not just “hoping it will work out.”

The Bottom Line: You Can Still Win in This Market—If You Treat Selling Like a Strategy

With higher inventory, longer days on market, and a clear tilt toward buyers, selling in San Antonio today is different than it was just a couple of years ago. But it’s absolutely doable.

If you:

Price based on current data in your specific area
Prepare your home so it stands out online and in person
Invest selectively in high-impact improvements
Launch with a plan to monitor activity and adjust intelligently

…you give yourself a real advantage over the many listings that are simply “hoping” to sell.

After 18 years in San Antonio real estate, what I see over and over is this:

The homes that sell best in a high-inventory market are not the “lucky” ones—they’re the ones with a clear strategy.

Ready to Build a Pricing & Prep Plan for Your Home?

If you’re thinking about selling your home in the San Antonio area, you don’t need a generic estimate—you need a local, data-driven plan tailored to your property and your timing.

Here’s what we can do together: