Buyers Have More Negotiating Power Than in Over a Decade. Here's How to Use It

Buyers have more negotiating power right now than they’ve had in over a decade, according to Redfin’s latest weekly report. The average home sold for 98.3% of its asking price, which is about $12,750 below the ask on a $750,000 home.

I’m a mortgage broker, so I shop hundreds of lenders and you don’t have to. Send me your price range before you make an offer, and I’ll show you what each ask is worth in monthly payment dollars. This post covers what to ask the seller for, in what order, and what each ask is worth.

Fewer buyers are shopping, so sellers are competing for the ones who are. That’s your opening.

Key takeaways

• Redfin says buyers have more negotiating power than in over a decade. Sellers are working harder to find a buyer.
• Ask for a lower price first, then a seller credit. A credit is money the seller pays toward your costs at closing.
• On a $750,000 example, a $12,750 price cut saves about $78 a month. A temporary rate buydown can save $875 a month in year one.
• Check how long the home has sat and whether its price has dropped before you write the offer.
• I shop hundreds of lenders so you don’t have to, and I can price each ask before you offer.

On this page: Good time to buy? · Buyer’s market signs · What to ask first · What each ask is worth · Home history · Whiz Advice

Is now a good time to buy a house?

If you can carry the monthly payment and plan to stay several years, it’s a strong time to negotiate. You can’t control the mortgage rate. You can control the price, the credits and the buydown you ask for.

The 30-year fixed rate averaged 7.18% on November 5, down from 7.24% the week before, according to Freddie Mac. I wouldn’t build a plan that only works if rates drop. Buy the payment you can carry today. If rates fall later, a refinance is a bonus.

How do I know if I’m in a buyer’s market?

Look at how many homes are for sale, how fast they sell and how many sellers are cutting prices. Here are Redfin’s national numbers for the four weeks ending October 25.

Signal	National number	What it tells you
Pending sales (homes under contract)	276,352, lowest in Redfin’s records, which start in 2021	Fewer buyers are making offers
Homes for sale	1,510,619, up 2.2% from a year ago	More choices for you
Months of supply	4.5 (Redfin calls 4 to 5 balanced)	Leaning toward buyers
Listings with a price cut	21.5%	More than 1 in 5 sellers has already come down
Median days on market	50	The typical home has sat for weeks
Average sale price vs. asking price	98.3%	On average, buyers pay about 1.7% under the ask
Homes sold above asking price	23.2%	Some homes are still hot

These are national numbers. Redfin’s metro table shows median sale prices up 15% in San Francisco and down 4.6% in Austin, so your market matters. I wrote about the two markets in the post on selling my own house. Homes that are priced right still sell fast. Homes that aren’t give you room to ask.

What should I ask the seller for first?

Ask for a lower price first, then a seller credit. The price comes first because everything else is built on it: your down payment, your loan size and your monthly payment.

If the seller won’t move on price, ask for a seller credit. A credit is money the seller pays at closing toward your costs. With 10% down on a conventional loan, Fannie Mae lets the seller pay up to 6% of the price, which is $45,000 on a $750,000 home. A credit can’t be more than your actual closing costs. My seller credits playbook covers the limits on every loan type.

Third, you can ask the seller to pay for a rate buydown, which lowers your rate for the first one or two years. You don’t need all three. Pick two.

What is each ask worth on a $750,000 home?

Here is one example, not a quote. You buy a $750,000 home with 10% down ($75,000) and borrow $675,000 on a 30-year fixed loan at 7.18%, the Freddie Mac average. The payment is $4,573 a month in principal and interest, which is the loan payment before taxes and insurance. I chose $12,750 as the first ask because it’s the gap between the average sale price and the average ask.

Your ask	What it costs the seller	What it does for you
Price cut of $12,750	$12,750	Your payment drops $78 a month for the whole loan, and your down payment drops $1,275
Seller credit of $12,750	$12,750	You pay $12,750 less at closing. Your payment stays $4,573
1-0 buydown (rate 1 point lower for year one)	$5,367	Your payment is $447 lower for 12 months, then returns to $4,573
2-1 buydown (2 points lower in year one, 1 point lower in year two)	$15,862	Your payment is $875 lower in year one and $447 lower in year two, then returns to $4,573

The same seller dollars do different jobs. A price cut pays you a little every month. A credit pays you all at once. A buydown puts the savings into the first one or two years. Which one fits depends on how long you’ll stay and how much cash you want to keep at closing. My 2-1 buydown page has the basics.

How do I find out how long a home has sat and if the price dropped?

Ask your agent to pull three things before you write the offer. The home’s price history, the number of days it’s been on the market, and the sale prices of similar homes nearby compared with their asking prices. Most listing sites show the price history and days on market on the home’s page.

A home that has already dropped its price or has sat longer than the 50-day national median gives you more room. A home that came on the market last week with a fair price gives you less.

Whiz Advice

• Ask in dollars, not percents. “$10,000 toward closing costs” is clear. A percent invites a fight about the math.
• Make your offer easy to say yes to. A solid pre-approval letter and a lender who can move fast make the seller more willing to agree to your ask.
• Plan for the full payment from day one. A buydown gets you through the first one or two years. It doesn’t change the rate you carry after that.
• If the seller says no to a price cut, say yes to a credit. The seller keeps the price on the record, and you still get your savings.

Why use a mortgage broker?

I shop your rates with other lenders, so you don’t have to.

Shopping for a mortgage on your own means applying again and again, sending the same documents over and over, and waiting on every quote. I do that part for you, with one application.

What you get when you work with me:

• One application, one credit pull. I compare hundreds of lenders for you, including most of the big banks and big lenders.
• More loan options than one bank can offer. VA, jumbo, bank statement, DSCR and other non-QM (non-traditional) loans. A single bank can only offer its own programs.
• Pricing from a large wholesale platform. I’m a mortgage broker with NEXA Lending, the largest brokerage in the country by loan officer headcount. In my experience, that volume helps me get wholesale pricing that many banks can’t match.
• Help when your file isn’t standard. If you’re self-employed, have unusual income or have a lower credit score, I know which lenders fit.
• A real person from start to finish. I answer your questions and make sure your application is accurate, so there are no surprises later.

Start your loan application here, and let me go to work! (opens in a new tab)

How do you get ready to negotiate on a home?

Here’s what you can do this week:

1. Get pre-approved before you tour. Pay your credit cards down first. Under 30% of your limits helps, and under 10% is better.
2. Pick your monthly payment target. Include principal, interest, taxes and insurance, then work backward to a price.
3. Write your asks in order, in dollars. For example: $12,000 off the price, then $10,000 toward closing costs.
4. Pull the price history and days on market for every home you like before you offer.
5. Send me your numbers. My job is to help you find the loan program that fits you best and make sure your application is accurate. The mortgage calculator lets you try your own numbers.

Pick your next step:

• Ready to get pre-approved? Start your loan application (opens in a new tab). It’s the fastest way to find out what you can buy.
• Have a one-of-a-kind situation? Book a 15-minute call (opens in a new tab) and we’ll talk it through.
• Just have a question? Email me at [email protected] with your scenario, and I’ll write back.

I’m a mortgage broker with NEXA Lending, and I work with borrowers in all nine states where I’m licensed (CA, CO, TX, FL, GA, NC, SC, TN, VA). As a broker, I can shop your loan across hundreds of lenders. Programs, rates and approval depend on your full file.

Sources: Redfin, U.S. Home-Sale Prices Just Fell for the First Time in 3 Years, Oct 29, 2026 (opens in a new tab), Freddie Mac weekly survey via Mortgage News Daily, Nov 5, 2026 (opens in a new tab), Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-4.1-02, interested party contributions (opens in a new tab).