Many people think that if the house has been on the market for a long time, it means that there is something wrong with the home. Not always. It could be that the owner has just now decided to sell the home. Meaning, the home was "on the market" but not really ON the market. If the home has been hard to schedule showings or not in selling condition, it can really delay the sale.

So, bottom line is, don't think that because a home has been on the market for one year it is not something worth your time or something is wrong with the home. It could be the perfect home for you.

I have a quick story. A few years ago, I got the hankering to buy a second home that I could be "creative" in. A friend of mine at the time talked about Big Canoe Georgia, a mountain retreat just 30 minutes north of Alpharetta. I was intrigued that I could travel to this home easily but it would be in the mountains. So, I started looking what was for sale that week knowing that my goal was to purchase a home that weekend. I found several to look at and did so. But when I went to the particular home that was in my price range, made me feel good and felt like home, I knew that house was for me.

The house has a steep driveway and over 30 steps to the entrance. I did not care. The home had been on the market for over 2 years of so-so marketing because the people had the attitude that if it sold, great, and if not, they would continue to use it when they wanted to. That is timing and circumstance at it's greatest level.

Don't worry if a house has been on the market. It just means that when they put it on the market, you were not looking. And, just because a home has been on the market for a while, it does not mean that the owner is desperate to sell.