Today’s real estate market requires a different way of thinking.
For years, sellers benefited from historically low interest rates that gave buyers tremendous purchasing power. Many homeowners are still sitting on mortgages in the 2%–4% range. That creates one of the biggest challenges in today’s market: a buyer isn’t just comparing your home to another home—they’re comparing today’s monthly payment to the payment they could have had a few years ago.
That means we have to look beyond simply putting a home on the market and waiting. When I represent a seller, my goal is to sell the home—not just list it. Sometimes getting to the seller’s desired bottom line requires looking at every part of the transaction.
Price is only one lever.
Broker compensation is negotiable, and today’s commission rules have created more flexibility in how compensation can be structured. Sellers and buyers have options, and those options should be discussed rather than automatically assuming every transaction must be structured the same way. Title expenses are another negotiating tool. In Texas, who pays the owner’s title policy is negotiable. Depending on the transaction, the parties can negotiate or divide certain closing expenses rather than putting every dollar on one side of the table.
Then there are seller concessions.
Sometimes a buyer doesn’t need another $10,000 reduction in the sales price nearly as much as they need help reducing upfront costs or the monthly payment. A strategically structured seller credit toward allowable closing costs or an interest-rate buydown can sometimes make a home considerably more affordable to a buyer while protecting more of the seller’s price.
That’s the conversation I believe sellers should be having.
If a home isn’t selling, the answer shouldn’t automatically be: “Reduce the price again.” Instead, let’s work backward from the seller’s net proceeds and ask: What combination of price, compensation, closing expenses and buyer incentives gives us the best chance of getting this home sold?
Today’s market requires flexibility. Sellers are competing against higher interest rates, affordability concerns and homeowners who don’t want to give up their 2%–4% mortgages.
There isn’t always one path to the bottom line. The market has changed, and our strategy has to change with it. My job is to look at the entire transaction, protect my seller’s net, and find the smartest path to a successful closing. Smart negotiation can make the difference between being listed and actually getting sold.
Any content, resident submissions, guest columns, advertisements, and advertorials are not necessarily endorsed by or represent the views of Best Version Media LLC (BVM) or any municipality, homeowners associations, businesses, or organizations that this publication serves. BVM is not responsible for the reliability, suitability, or timeliness of any content submitted, inclusive of materials generated or composed through artificial intelligence (AI). All content submitted is done so at the sole discretion of the submitting party.
