Is Your "Perfect" Listing Not Selling? The Algorithm is Penalizing You (and You Don't Even See It)

They Are Hiding You in Plain Sight: The Cold Shower

Imagine this: you post your apartment in Huelin on Idealista, "decent" photos, "market" price, a heartfelt description... and silence. Three days. Seven. Fifteen. Silence. You drop the price by €5,000. Nothing. You start thinking, "The market is slow." No. The algorithm is burying you.

Uncomfortable fact: more than 70% of clicks go to listings on the first page. And over 80% of users don't even proceed to the second page. If your ad drops to page 3, it's as if it doesn't exist. It's not your apartment. It's your visibility.

Portals don't reward the best apartment. They reward the listing that gets the best engagement.

The Real (and Painful) Day-to-Day of a Property Owner in Málaga

The Scene You Already Know

You've uploaded your apartment in Teatinos/Fuentenueva/Carihuela. You put "nice" in the title. The photos were taken by your brother-in-law with his phone ("it looks good, it's an iPhone"). The description talks about how lovely the area is, how much sun you got on the terrace in the summer of 2019, and that it is "close to everything."

You watch neighbors sell, and you accumulate "impressions" but few clicks. Two curious people call you, one stands you up, another offers you €20,000 less "because it's been on the portal for a long time." It stings. And, yes, it hurts to admit: it's not the price. It's how you talk to the algorithm (and the people the algorithm shows you to).

Examples That Sound All Too Familiar

• Generic title: "Nice apartment in Málaga capital." What do you expect the user to do with that?
• First photo: living room against the light, curtains closed, vertical. Goodbye click.
• Poem-like description: 15 lines without a single hard data point (usable sqm, IBI, community fee, orientation... zero).
• Posting on a Sunday at 10:30 PM, because "that way everyone sees it." No one sees it.

Your Blind Spot: The Enemy Isn't the Price, It's the Algorithm

In 2025, real estate portals (Idealista, Fotocasa, pisos.com) position by behavior: real estate ad CTR (clicks/impressions), dwell time, saves, messages, response quality, freshness, and data consistency. Whether you like it or not, you are playing in their house.

How You Penalize Yourself Without Realizing It

• Vague titles without a micro-area ("El Ejido," "La Malagueta," "El Cónsul") or key attributes (terrace, parking, elevator, usable sqm).
• Weak or vertical first photo. The scroll is a slaughterhouse: the first image decides your survival.
• Description without data. The reader bounces; the algorithm sees it.
• Empty fields: floor, orientation, EPC, IBI, community fee, year of renovation. Empty = suspicious.
• Slow to respond. If you reply the next day, the portal interprets "low quality." It lowers your ranking.
• Fiddling without strategy: you upload, delete, duplicate, change the price three times a week. Noise. Penalty.

If You Stay the Same, Your Listing Sinks (and You Negotiate from the Bottom)

I'll tell you how this ends when you don't correct it:

• You go from page 1 to page 4. Your "impressions" plummet, and your CTR drops below 1%.
• Buyers see "120 days on the portal." They smell urgency. Lowball offers.
• You start lowering the price to "reactivate." The portals record the history. The curious and opportunistic arrive.
• You burn out. November arrives, then December, and your moving/investment plan is thrown off.

The worst thing is not taking long: it's selling cheap out of sheer boredom. That really hurts.

The Twist: It's Not "More Price" or "More Luck," It's More Click

Ana, an owner in Teatinos, 92 sqm apartment with garage. Two weeks with no life. She didn't touch the price. She changed three things:

• Title: from "Apartment in Teatinos" to "92 sqm usable + garage + afternoon sun terrace, next to Metro – Teatinos".
• First photo: she removed the one of the hallway; she put the open terrace with the sky visible, straight lines, natural light.
• First paragraph with hard data and a clear CTA.

Result in 72 hours: CTR from 0.9% to 3.4%, 14 inquiries, 6 actual visits, 2 offers at asking price. Magic? No. Optimization for the real estate portal algorithm and for humans in a hurry.

The Possible Future When You Dominate the Portal

You wake up and have messages from buyers with pre-approved financing. Visits are filtered: they know the usable sqm, expenses, orientation, and that the building has an elevator (no surprises). You close in 21–45 days. Without juggling.

Control returns to your side. You choose who you sell to, not the portal. Selling an apartment in Málaga without lowering the price is real when your listing encourages the click, holds the user's attention, and provides a quick response.

The Plan That Works: 9 Moves to Climb to the First Page Without Lowering a Single Euro

1) Define Your Clickable Range (Real Price and Comps)

It's not "dinner table" appraisal. Look at closed sales and real comps within 400–800 m: usable sqm, condition, elevator, terrace, parking. If your ad is 5–7% above the comparable, you can compete if the listing is superior. If it's 12–15% above, not even a perfect ad can save you.

• Málaga neighborhoods with micro-prices: El Palo (terrace rules), Centro Histórico (licenses and quality), Litoral Pacífico (views and garage matter).
• Trick: check "sold" and not just "for sale." What sells, not what is dreamed of.

2) How to Write Your Apartment Listing Title

Formula that clicks: [Usable sqm] + [Strong attribute] + [Second attribute] + [Micro-area]. No poetry.

• “78 sqm usable + elevator + sunny patio – El Ejido (5 min Center)”
• “110 sqm + garage + sea views – Litoral Pacífico | Renovation 2021”
• Avoid: “Opportunity,” “Negotiable,” “Nice.” They add nothing and detract from credibility.

3) Photography That Stops the Scroll (Yes, It Matters More Than Your Description)

The first photo decides your CTR. Simple rules for real estate photography in Málaga:

1. Horizontal, 16:9, natural light, blinds up, warm light bulbs on if necessary.
2. Avoid backlighting. If there's sea/terrace, first photo from there, with a straight horizon.
3. Remove clutter: magnets, towels, mop buckets, cables.
4. Logical order: 1) hook (terrace/views), 2) spacious living room, 3) kitchen, 4) bedrooms, 5) bathrooms, 6) common areas, 7) floor plan.
5. Do not upload 35 repetitive photos. 15–22 good ones beat 40 mediocre ones.

4) Description That Converts (Data First, Charm Later)

First paragraph of 3–4 lines with what the buyer wants to know now:

• Usable sqm (not just built), floor, and whether there is an elevator.
• Terrace/patio with sqm, parking, and if it is included.
• Orientation, year of renovation, estimated IBI and community fee.
• Transport (metro/bus), distance to beach/schools, access points.

Then you can talk about feelings. But first, ammunition. If the user finds answers, they stay; the algorithm sees it and moves you up.

5) Fill Everything (Yes, Everything) and Align Expectations

Fields that are often missing and penalize you: energy certificate, cadastral reference if applicable, year of construction, ITE status, accessibility, fixed expenses, whether there are extraordinary community fees. Put a precise map (without scaring the community: a radius of 100–200 m works).

Tourist rental? Note "consult current regulations in Málaga capital." Don't promise what the law may not allow. Clarity retains.

6) Post When There Are Eyes, Not When You Can

The best time to post a real estate listing in Málaga is usually:

• Monday–Thursday, 8:30–9:30 AM (before work) and 7:00–9:00 PM (post-work).
• Saturday morning if you plan to open the visit schedule that day.
• Avoid Sunday afternoon: saturation and low real intent.

Repeat "pushes" every 48–72 h with real changes (photo 1, title, first paragraph). Don't do an "empty refresh." The portals notice.

7) Respond in Minutes and Pre-Qualify Without Losing Your Soul

Portals measure your response time. Aim for less than 10 minutes. Have templates:

• Message 1: thank, send a dossier (PDF with data: usable sqm, expenses, floor plan) and ask for availability.
• Message 2: filter with care: financing (pre-approval), purchase deadline, motive.
• Call. The call increases the quality of the lead and reduces junk visits.

8) Measure What Matters (and Act Ruthlessly)

• CTR: below 1.2% = change title and photo 1 now. Target 2.5–4%.
• Saves/visit: less than 10% = cold description or misaligned price.
• Contacts/1000 impressions: less than 8 = review data, floor plan, expenses, and first paragraph.
• Low time on ad = photos and text don't connect; reorder and upload a legible floor plan.

9) Optional Accelerators

• Paid featured listings at peak search times (end of the month, after holidays) if your ad is already optimized.
• Short video and floor plan. Users stay longer, and the algorithm smiles.
• Light staging: blankets, plants, light. Cheap and changes the perception of the sqm.

What NOT to Do (If You Don't Want to Shoot Yourself in the Foot)

• Do not put "NEGOTIABLE" in the title. It smells of urgency.
• Do not upload the same house with 3 agencies and 3 prices. You cannibalize yourself and cause confusion.
• Do not hide high expenses. They will come out during the visit, and the user will bounce — instant penalty.
• Do not post with vertical or night photos. That's asking to be ignored.

Mini Real Story from Málaga: From the Pit to the Shop Window

Francisco, 85 sqm apartment in El Palo. 26 days on the portal, 0 useful visits. He didn't lower the price. We applied this method: new title with "85 sqm usable + 12 sqm terrace + elevator – 3rd beach line," re-photographed at midday, clear floor plan, expenses on line 2, and posted on a Tuesday at 7:15 PM. CTR 0.8% → 3.1%, 9 visits in 5 days, offer at asking price with down payment in 10 days. Cold market? No. Lukewarm ad.

Want Shortcuts and Zero Surprises? We Can Help

At Pineapple Homes, we manage this process daily in Málaga and Costa del Sol: free valuation with real data, professional photo and video, optimized posting on Idealista/Fotocasa, response in minutes, and smart negotiation. Without forced exclusives, with honesty and speed.

If you recognize yourself in this article (and I bet you do), the next step is simple.

Move Today: Let Your Apartment Stop Being Invisible

I tell you this with brutal affection: if your listing isn't moving, it's not the apartment. It's how you present it to the algorithm and to people with an itchy thumb.

• Book your free, data-based valuation to set the clickable range.
• Request an audit of your listing: title, photo 1, first paragraph, and metrics in 48 h.
• Receive a micro-market report for your neighborhood in Málaga.

Contact Pineapple Homes — C. Sebastián Souvirón, 13 (Málaga Center) — M–F 10:00 AM–6:00 PM — Tel. +34 653 751 989 — Email: info@pineapplehomes.es — Web: https://www.pineapplehomesmalaga.com/

Are you going to keep lowering the price, or are you going to truly optimize and get to the first page? Decide today. Your next click starts here.