Delistings Are Up 40%: How to Find Sellers Who Gave Up

Something interesting is happening in the housing market right now, and most investors aren't paying attention.

While everyone's watching mortgage rates and inventory numbers, a quieter trend is creating one of the best buying opportunities we've seen in years. Sellers are pulling their listings at record rates. Not because they changed their minds about selling — but because the traditional process failed them.

These aren't unmotivated sellers. They're frustrated sellers. And that distinction matters more than you think.

Why Delistings Are Surging in 2026 — And What the Data Really Says

By late 2025, realtor.com reported a record-high number of delistings, with roughly 6% of all active listings pulled from the market by sellers. That might sound small until you do the math. With existing-home sales data from NAR showing millions of transactions annually, that 6% represents tens of thousands of properties quietly disappearing from the MLS every month.

And the trend has only accelerated into 2026.

So what's driving it? A few things are converging at once:

• Stubborn mortgage rates are keeping buyers cautious, leading to fewer showings and weaker offers than sellers expected.
• Overpriced listings that agents took on hoping the market would "catch up" are sitting and expiring without serious interest.
• The rate lock-in effect means many sellers who listed were already hesitant — they're giving up their low-rate mortgage for a new one at nearly double the rate. When the sale doesn't happen quickly, buyer's remorse kicks in before they've even sold.
• Seasonal patterns amplified by uncertainty. Yes, delistings always tick up in winter. But NAR's own reporting from December 2025 flagged this as well beyond normal seasonal fluctuation. Sellers are "hunkering down," as they put it.

The bottom line: more properties are falling out of the traditional sales pipeline than at any point in recent memory. For investors who know how to work off-market deals, this is a massive, largely untapped pipeline.

Frustrated vs. Unmotivated: Understanding the Delisted Seller Mindset

Here's where most investors get it wrong. They hear "delisted" and think the seller doesn't want to sell anymore. That's rarely the full story.

Think about what actually happens when someone lists their home. They declutter, maybe paint, deal with showings at inconvenient times, keep the house spotless for weeks or months, and emotionally prepare to leave. That's a significant investment of time, energy, and money.

When they delist, it's not because they woke up and decided they love their house again. It's usually one of these:

• They didn't get the price they wanted. The market told them their expectations were off, and they couldn't stomach accepting less.
• Their agent relationship fell apart. Poor communication, bad pricing strategy, not enough marketing — they lost confidence in the process.
• Life circumstances shifted. A job transfer got delayed, a divorce settlement is pending, a health issue put things on hold. The need to sell is still there; the timeline changed.
• They got zero offers — or only lowball ones. Nothing kills motivation faster than weeks on market with no traction.

But here's the thing: the underlying reason they listed hasn't gone away. The tired landlord is still tired. The relocating family still needs to relocate. The inherited property is still sitting empty and costing money.

They didn't stop being sellers. They stopped being listed sellers. And that's a completely different thing.

When you approach a delisted seller, you're not cold-calling someone out of the blue with an unsolicited pitch. You're reaching out to someone who already raised their hand and said "I want to sell this property." They just got burned by the process. Your job is to offer them a different path.

How to Find Expired and Withdrawn Listings Before Your Competition

Speed matters here. The best time to reach a delisted seller is within the first two weeks after their listing is pulled. Wait too long and one of two things happens: they relist with a new agent, or they get so many calls from other investors and agents that they stop answering the phone.

Here's how to build your pipeline:

1. MLS Access (Direct or Through an Agent)

The MLS tracks listing statuses including expired, withdrawn, and canceled. If you have agent access or a strong relationship with a buyer's agent, you can set up automated searches that flag these status changes daily. The key filters: look for properties that were listed for 60+ days before being pulled, and properties where the listing price dropped at least once before withdrawal. Both are strong indicators of a motivated-but-frustrated seller.

2. County Records Cross-Referenced with Listing Data

Public records can help you identify properties that were listed, delisted, and haven't transferred ownership. This tells you definitively: they didn't sell. Cross-reference this with tax records to find owners who may have other distress signals — delinquent taxes, code violations, or out-of-state ownership.

3. Online Platforms That Track Listing History

Several platforms — including Redfin's home search and similar tools — allow you to check MLS history, monitor expired or withdrawn listings, and identify properties that have come on and off the market multiple times. Properties with multiple listing attempts are gold. That seller is clearly motivated but keeps hitting walls.

4. Local Agent Networks

Don't underestimate old-school networking. Agents know which listings fell through and why. Many are happy to make an introduction if it means salvaging a deal (and their commission, even at a reduced rate). Build relationships with 3-5 agents in your target market and let them know you're specifically interested in expired and withdrawn listings.

5 Tools and Tactics for Sourcing Off-Market Delisted Properties

Finding these sellers is one thing. Building a repeatable system is another. Here's what actually works:

1. Skip Tracing

Once you've identified a delisted property, you need to find the owner — especially if they're an absentee owner or the listing agent is no longer representing them. Skip tracing tools pull current phone numbers, email addresses, and mailing addresses from public and proprietary databases. You're connecting directly with the decision-maker, bypassing the gatekeepers who failed them the first time.

2. Driving for Dollars (with a Twist)

Classic driving for dollars targets distressed-looking properties. But add a layer: cross-reference the properties you spot with listing history. A house that looks rough AND was recently delisted? That's a double signal. The owner tried the traditional route, it didn't work, and the property's condition likely contributed to the failure. You're solving two problems for them.

3. Direct Mail Campaigns

Direct mail to delisted sellers converts at significantly higher rates than generic "we buy houses" mailers because you're reaching someone at a specific pain point. The key is timing and messaging. Don't send a generic postcard. Acknowledge their situation: "I noticed your home was recently on the market. If you're still considering a sale, I'd like to discuss an option that doesn't involve listing again."

4. Data Stacking

This is where the real edge comes in. Layer multiple data points on a single property: delisted status + tax delinquency + absentee owner + high equity = a seller who almost certainly still needs to sell and has the equity to make a deal work for both of you. The more data points you stack, the higher your conversion rate.

5. Automated Lead Monitoring

Set up systems that alert you the moment a listing changes to expired or withdrawn status in your target zip codes. The investors who win these deals aren't manually checking the MLS every morning. They have automated workflows that push leads to them in real time so they can make contact within 24-48 hours of delisting.

Crafting the Perfect Off-Market Offer That Converts Frustrated Sellers

You've found the seller. You've got their contact info. Now what?

The approach matters as much as the offer itself. These sellers have been through the wringer. They dealt with showings, lowballers, maybe a deal that fell through at inspection or appraisal. They're skeptical of the process and probably a little defensive.

Here's what works:

Lead with empathy, not a price. Your first conversation shouldn't be "I'll give you $X for your house." It should be: "What happened with your listing? What would an ideal outcome look like for you?" Let them vent. Let them tell you what went wrong. You'll learn their real motivation and their price expectations in the same conversation.

Offer certainty over price. Most delisted sellers didn't fail because the price was too low. They failed because the process was uncertain. Buyers backed out. Financing fell through. Inspections killed deals. Position your offer around what you can guarantee: a fast close, no inspections, no financing contingency, flexible timeline. Certainty is worth a discount to a frustrated seller.

Be flexible on terms. Maybe they need a leaseback for 60 days. Maybe they want to leave the furniture. Maybe they need to close by a specific date for tax reasons. The more creative and accommodating you can be on terms, the more likely they are to accept a price that works for your numbers.

Present yourself as a professional, not a predator. Bring proof of funds. Reference other deals you've closed. Be transparent about your process. These sellers have already been let down once. Show them you're different.

A simple formula for your initial outreach message:

"Hi [Name], I noticed your property at [Address] was recently taken off the market. I'm a local real estate investor, and I work directly with homeowners who want to sell without going through the listing process again. If you're still open to selling, I'd love to have a quick conversation about what that could look like — no pressure, no obligation. My number is [X]. Happy to work around your schedule."

Short. Respectful. Specific enough to show you've done your homework.

How DealDriven Gives You a First-Mover Advantage on Delisted Properties

Here's where having the right platform changes everything.

DealDriven was built for exactly this kind of deal sourcing. While other investors are manually combing through MLS statuses or waiting for an agent to call them back, DealDriven users are identifying, skip tracing, and contacting delisted sellers in a single workflow.

Here's how it fits together:

• Property data and listing status tracking let you pinpoint recently expired and withdrawn listings in your target markets without needing MLS access yourself.
• Built-in skip tracing means you go from identifying a property to having the owner's phone number and mailing address in minutes, not days.
• Driving for dollars integration lets you tag properties on the go and instantly cross-reference them against listing history and ownership data. That run-down property you spotted on your morning drive? You'll know in seconds whether it was recently delisted.
• Direct mail tools allow you to launch targeted campaigns to delisted sellers with messaging tailored to their situation — and track response rates so you can optimize over time.
• Data stacking across multiple distress indicators helps you prioritize the leads most likely to convert, so you're spending your time on the highest-probability deals.

The investors who are going to crush it in 2026 aren't the ones with the biggest marketing budgets. They're the ones who move fastest on the best data. When a seller pulls their listing at 3 PM, and you're reaching out by 5 PM with a respectful, well-informed message, you're not competing with anyone. You're the only call they got that actually made sense.

That 6% of listings being pulled from the market? It's not a problem. It's a pipeline. And the only question is whether you're set up to capture it before someone else does.