Sleeping Beauty Syndrome: The North Devon Homes Waiting for a Kiss (from the Right Buyer)

Published on October 5, 2025 On Property News, Selling

If you’ve spent any time scrolling Rightmove/Zoopla/OnTheMarket or cruising around Barnstaple, Bideford, or anywhere in North Devon lately, you’ll probably have noticed something… familiar.

Same boards. Same houses. Same photos from last spring.

So, what’s going on?

We’ve crunched the numbers from thousands of listings across North Devon over the last month, and the results are—well—eye-opening:

54.8% are still available (translation: waiting… and waiting).
28.9% are Sold STC (finally, some good news!).
9.6% have quietly vanished (withdrawn, or “we’ll just pretend we never tried”).
And just 6.7% have actually exchanged.

So yes, things are happening. But crucially, not for everyone.

Price Still Rules the Game

Here’s the kicker:

The median asking price for available homes is £375,000.
The median price for those Sold STC? £325,000.

That’s your reality check right there.

Generally, buyers aren’t biting much above £350k unless it’s seriously special.

At the higher end—£750k+—it’s a different story altogether. Over 80% of those properties are still twiddling their thumbs on the market.

Meanwhile, the £250k–£500k range is where the action is, with around a third already under offer.

Moral of the story? The market’s moving, but only if you’re priced in the lane buyers are actually driving in.

The Price-Reduction Fairy Tale 🧚‍♂️

Some agents and sellers still believe in the magic of the small mid-market price drop i.e.
“Just shave a bit off and watch the offers roll in,” right?

Wrong.

Or worse still, “lets drop the price from £500,000 to £499,999, that’ll make it seem cheaper to buyers!” Urgh!

Come on? Are you serious? Buyers aren’t stupid – they’re tracking the market everyday, they know instinctively when the price doesn’t add up.

We tracked all price reductions last month.

Understandably, 79.7% are still available in the first month since the reduction.
Positively 5.1% actually went under offer within this timeframe.
BUT the average wait before reducing was? 17 weeks!

That’s four months of gathering digital dust before doing the classic “let’s try £10k less” move.

Spoiler alert: buyers don’t see that as inspiration, they see it as well, ‘meh’!

If you’re reducing after 4 months, and still not selling weeks/months after, well it’s probably a case of too little, too late!

—you need a new plan.

“Back on Market” = Déjà Vu

Ah yes, the “Back on Market” crowd. Sounds promising, doesn’t it?

“Yes, we’ve changed agent but stuck to the same price and with no new strategy but its bound to make all the difference, isn’t it?”

Except… not one of the homes we found that were ‘back on the market’ had actually sold.

Once buyers have swiped left, they rarely swipe right again.

Unless you give them a damn good reason to.

What Smart Sellers Are Doing

Here’s a simple strategy that works (and it’s not rocket science):

Launch strong. The first 4–8 weeks are where the magic happens. Miss that window, and you’re officially “old news.”
Re-Launch Boldly – If you don’t hit the target in the first 4-8 weeks, don’t wait! Reset immediately but be bold on price and get ahead of the market.
Know your buyer. The £250–500k crowd is still making moves. The £750k+ club needs a price to entice, and marketing that sells the lifestyle, story, and soul of your home—not just square footage, EPC’s and a 3D floorplan.
Be decisive. Do you want to sell now or not? If repositioning is needed, do it properly. A token trim won’t do. Go big, rebrand, relaunch, and reignite buyers interest. If not, do yourself a favour, take it off the market and try again next year.

How We Do It (and Why It Works)

I don’t play the “list it high, then panic later” game.

We:

Profile the ideal buyer before the launch.
Pitch the price where the market is at the time
Build the story — visuals, film, staging, lifestyle, everything that makes the home irresistible.
Launch with intent, while your property still has that “new car smell.”
And then we negotiate like we mean it — because a well-marketed home doesn’t beg, it attracts competition.
We listen and then act – if the market is telling us somethings not right we listen and recommend a change as soon as possible.

The stats don’t lie.

Waiting to drop the price doesn’t work.

Final Word

If your homes been sitting on the market well before the Hockings ice creams vans packed up, it’s time for a refresh — not another reduction.

Forget “just drop it a bit.”
You need a reset.

Fresh strategy. Sharper marketing. Real positioning.
The kind that makes buyers fight over your home, not scroll past it.

Because in today’s market, fortune favours the bold.

If you want to chat about your situation, just get in touch, I am always happy to help.

P.S. I’m offering a no-obligation 15-minute Pricing & Strategy Check-In if it helps.

All the best

Nic Chbat – Director

Call me on 01271 410108 or drop me an email at nic@matchproperty.co.uk with the subject ’15 minute check in’. I’ll come straight back to you.