Seller Concessions Are Everywhere: How Buyers Can Negotiate

How common are seller concessions right now?

Seller concessions have become a normal part of buying a home in much of the country. In a video published October 6, 2026, housing creator Michael Bordenaro Clips, citing a Redfin analysis, says more than 44% of buyers received some form of concession this year. That is above the roughly 40% he says was typical in 2020, before the pandemic frenzy.

In plain terms, a concession is anything the seller gives that lowers what the buyer pays to get the keys. It might be help with closing costs, a repair credit, a mortgage rate buydown or a lower list price. For buyers, the practical lesson is that asking is no longer unusual in many markets. The harder question is which concession is worth taking and which is worth declining in favor of a lower price.

One caution on the numbers: the creator says "about half" of buyers get concessions at one point and cites 44% when describing the chart. The 44% figure is the safer one to rely on, and it is only a national average that hides large local differences.

What counts as a seller concession?

Redfin, as described in the video, defines a concession broadly. It covers any financial help from the seller that reduces the buyer's total cost. The most common forms look like this:

Bordenaro notes that new-home builders have leaned on these tools heavily, offering buyers roughly $10,000 to $20,000 in help. He argues builders prefer credits to outright price cuts because lower recorded prices can drag down appraisals of nearby homes. Resale sellers, he says, are now copying that playbook. For more on that side of the market, see our look at Florida builder price cuts in 2026.

The "double concession"

The video adds a notable figure: about 16% of buyers nationwide received a double concession, meaning the seller cut the price and also paid closing costs, made repairs or bought down the rate. That is roughly one buyer in six. Bordenaro calls this a sharp change from just a couple of years ago.

Where concessions are most and least common

Concessions are not evenly spread. The video says eight of the ten metros with the most concessions are in the Sun Belt, where prices climbed fastest earlier in the cycle. The figures he cites from the Redfin report:

The pattern follows supply. Bordenaro says Nashville, Houston and Las Vegas have roughly twice as many sellers as buyers. When listings outnumber serious shoppers, sellers compete for the few who are ready to close. Our reporting on Nashville's cooling demand and on rising national inventory shows the same dynamic from other angles.

Tight coastal markets sit at the opposite end. In San Jose, where homes still draw multiple buyers, concessions fell year over year. The takeaway is that your local ratio of listings to buyers matters more than any national headline.

Why sellers are offering them

Bordenaro is blunt that sellers are not being generous. He says motivated sellers, meaning those who need or want to sell, give concessions because a buyer with plenty of other options will otherwise walk. He describes a Redfin agent in Dallas who says buyers there are asking for every possible concession and leaving homes they like if they do not get them.

That is a reversal of the pandemic pattern, when buyers often waived contingencies and bid over asking price. Today the leverage has shifted toward buyers in many Sun Belt metros, though it is far from universal.

There is also a reason sellers prefer credits to cuts. A credit protects the recorded sale price, which supports comparable sales for the seller's neighbors and, in some cases, the seller's own pride. A price cut is visible to everyone. Rates matter too. The creator says mortgage rates have moved back up to nearly 7.2%. You can check the current weekly average on the Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, which is the standard benchmark. Higher rates squeeze affordability, which raises the value of any help that lowers the monthly payment. For background, see our piece on why the housing market feels frozen.

Concession or price cut? The trade-offs

This is where the video offers its most useful argument. Bordenaro says buyers should often prefer a lower price over an equal-dollar credit, for three reasons.

1. Comparable sales get distorted. If a home closes at $500,000 but the buyer received $75,000 in credits, the effective price is closer to $425,000, as the creator puts it. Future appraisers and buyers who look at the $500,000 may overestimate the neighborhood's value. He wants MLS systems to disclose concession amounts on closed sales. That is his opinion, not current policy everywhere.

2. Property taxes may be higher. He argues that a higher purchase price sets a higher tax starting point. This is true in some places and weaker in others. In California, assessments are tied to purchase price under Proposition 13. In many other states, assessors value homes by market data and reassess regularly, so your purchase price matters less. Check how your county assesses before you let this drive your decision.

3. Equity builds from a lower base. A lower price means you owe less and start with more cushion if values dip. Credits that fund rate buydowns or repairs may still be worth having, but they do not reduce the loan balance in the same way.

The counterweight is cash flow. A buyer stretched at closing may be better served by a closing cost credit than a price cut that saves money only slowly through a lower payment. A rate buydown can also be valuable, but temporary buydowns expire, so compare the permanent and temporary versions carefully.

How to negotiate concessions in a soft market

These steps are general guidance, not personal financial advice.

• Study local conditions first. Look at months of supply, price-cut share and days on market for your zip code. Concessions are easiest to win where listings are piling up.
• Check lender limits. Loan programs cap how much a seller can contribute. For example, conventional limits generally depend on down payment size and occupancy, while FHA and VA have their own caps. Confirm the exact figures with your loan officer or the Fannie Mae Selling Guide.
• Ask for the right thing. If your cash is tight, request closing cost help. If your budget is monthly-payment sensitive, price out a rate buydown. If you have savings and plan to stay long, push for the lower price.
• Compare total cost. Ask your lender to model three scenarios: a lower price, a closing credit, and a buydown. Look at monthly payment, cash to close and loan balance side by side.
• Use the inspection. Repair credits are often easier to negotiate than price changes, because they tie to documented problems.
• Be ready to walk. Leverage comes from alternatives. Keep a second and third home on your list.
• Read the closing disclosure. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau offers plain-language guides to closing costs and the documents you will receive.

Limits and counterpoints to the creator's view

Bordenaro's data comes from a single Redfin report, relayed through a short video, so the underlying methodology is worth reading directly. Some caveats:

• Definitions are broad. Including price reductions in the definition means a normal list-price cut is counted alongside a closing credit. The 44% figure does not mean 44% of buyers got cash toward closing.
• Local reality varies. The creator himself notes that San Jose, New York, San Francisco and Chicago look very different from Atlanta or Phoenix.
• Lower price is not always better. His advice to take the price cut can ignore the buyer who simply cannot cover closing costs. He says buyers who are that tight on cash should not buy, which is a strong opinion; many lenders and down payment programs exist precisely to help such buyers, and readers should weigh their own finances.
• Property tax claims depend on state law. As noted above, the "higher forever" effect is not universal.
• A real estate agent referral link appears in the video, so readers should treat the "great time to buy" conclusion as one perspective, not neutral advice.

Also keep in mind that conditions can change quickly. If rates fall and demand returns, the leverage may shift back. Our coverage of falling buyer demand and seller price cuts tracks that balance.

What this means for you

If you are a buyer: Start by finding out whether concessions are common in your local market. If they are, request them, but evaluate the trade-off against a lower price. Get a written comparison from your lender, confirm program limits, and check how your county sets property tax assessments. Do not stretch your budget just because a credit is on offer.

If you are a seller: Expect buyers in many Sun Belt metros to ask for credits, and price your home to compete with nearby listings that include them. A targeted credit, such as a rate buydown, can sometimes cost less than a price cut while helping the buyer qualify. Talk with your agent about how concessions interact with the appraisal and your net proceeds.

If you are a current owner: You do not need to act, but watch sold-price data carefully. Recorded prices may overstate true values in neighborhoods where concessions are heavy, which matters if you plan to refinance, sell or borrow against your equity. If you hold a mortgage at a low rate, remember that the lock-in effect is one reason fewer owners list, and that supply picture is still changing.

If you are a small investor: Concessions can lower your cash-to-close, but lenders usually apply tighter limits to investment properties. Underwrite deals on the true net price, not the recorded one.

What to watch next

Three indicators will tell you whether this trend holds: the share of listings with price cuts, months of supply in your metro, and the weekly mortgage rate. If supply keeps outpacing demand, concessions are likely to stay common in the Sun Belt. If rates ease and buyers return, sellers may pull them back. Check Redfin's own research page and your local MLS data rather than relying on any single video, including this one.