In partnership with
Good morning, NREB readers.
As always, we’re here to keep real estate professionals informed while cutting out the fluff. Let’s get right into it.
More Listings Do Not Mean Every Buyer Has Leverage
Buyers are hearing that inventory is improving.
They are seeing more listings online, watching price reductions appear, and reading headlines about markets becoming more buyer-friendly.
Some are arriving at a simple conclusion:
“That means we can negotiate hard on anything.”
Sometimes they can.
Sometimes they cannot.
More inventory changes the conversation, but it does not give every buyer the same amount of leverage on every property.
A well-priced home in strong condition can still attract immediate attention. A stale listing with deferred maintenance may give a buyer several openings. One price range may have months of supply while another remains competitive.
The national market can be shifting toward buyers while a specific buyer still has very little room on the home they want.
That distinction is where agents become valuable.
Leverage belongs to the transaction
Negotiating power does not belong permanently to buyers or sellers.
It belongs to the specific transaction.
A buyer’s leverage depends on factors such as:
how long the property has been listed
whether the price has already been reduced
how the home compares with recent competing listings
whether other offers are active
the seller’s timeline and motivation
the property’s condition
how much competition exists in that price range
whether the buyer needs concessions or has stronger terms
what has happened with similar homes nearby
Two listings on the same street can produce completely different negotiations.
One seller may have already purchased another home and need to close.
Another may be testing the market and have no reason to accept less.
One property may be the only updated home available in its price band.
Another may be competing against several better options.
The buyer’s leverage changes with the facts.
More choices can create false confidence
More inventory is generally helpful for buyers.
It gives them alternatives. It reduces the pressure to accept the first available option. It can create more time to compare properties and, in some cases, more room to negotiate.
But more choices can also create false confidence.
A buyer may see dozens of listings in a search portal without realizing that many are:
outside the preferred neighborhood
priced above the actual budget
in poor condition
already under negotiation
burdened by higher ownership costs
not comparable to the property they actually want
The number of search results is not the same as the number of realistic alternatives.
That is an important conversation to have before writing an aggressive offer.
Start by identifying the seller’s pressure
A buyer gains leverage when the seller has a problem the offer can help solve.
That problem is not always price.
The seller may need:
a specific closing date
time to remain in the property after closing
fewer inspection uncertainties
stronger financing
confidence that the deal will reach the closing table
flexibility around personal property
relief from carrying costs
a clean path out of a property that has already fallen out of contract
A lower price with difficult terms may be less attractive than a slightly stronger price with a cleaner structure.
Likewise, a full-price offer can still create value for the buyer if it secures meaningful concessions, repairs, credits, personal property, or timing.
The best negotiation is not always the one with the lowest number on the first page.
It is the one that improves the buyer’s overall outcome.
Todays Partner:
Want to get the most out of ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a superpower if you know how to use it correctly.
Discover how HubSpot's guide to AI can elevate both your productivity and creativity to get more things done.
Learn to automate tasks, enhance decision-making, and foster innovation with the power of AI.
Separate price from total value
Buyers frequently focus on the headline price because it is the easiest number to compare.
But the purchase price is only one part of the deal.
Depending on the property and local rules, negotiations may involve:
closing-cost assistance
interest-rate buydowns
repair credits
completed repairs
home warranties
included appliances or furnishings
appraisal-gap terms
inspection protections
occupancy arrangements
closing timelines
deposits and contingencies
A seller may reject a large price reduction but accept another concession that creates similar or greater value for the buyer.
That is why agents should help buyers define their priorities before making the offer.
Does the buyer need the lowest possible cash requirement?
A more manageable monthly payment?
Protection against a major repair?
Time to sell another home?
Certainty that a particular appliance or feature remains?
A buyer who knows the desired outcome can negotiate more intelligently than one who simply says, “Offer low and see what happens.”
Days on market require context
A listing that has been active for 60 days may look like an obvious negotiation opportunity.
But the number alone does not tell the full story.
The property may have started significantly overpriced and only recently entered a realistic range. It may have fallen out of contract. It may have a condition issue. It may be sitting because the seller has rejected reasonable offers.
Or it may simply be in a slower segment of the local market.
Before using days on market as leverage, look at the listing history:
When was the property first listed?
Has the price changed?
Was it previously pending or contingent?
How long has it been at the current price?
Did competing listings sell while this one remained active?
Are there recurring objections in agent feedback?
Is the seller responding to the market or still resisting it?
A home listed for 70 days but reduced yesterday is not necessarily in the same negotiating position as a home that has spent 70 days at its current price.
Price reductions do not always mean desperation
A price reduction is useful information.
It shows that the seller has responded to the market, at least to some degree.
But buyers should not automatically interpret every reduction as surrender.
A seller who started too high may simply be correcting the price. The new number may now be competitive enough to attract more buyers. In some cases, the reduction can actually decrease the buyer’s leverage by bringing the property into a more active search range.
The better question is not:
“Has the seller reduced the price?”
It is:
“How does the current price compare with the market now?”
That requires current competition, recent pending activity, closed comparables, condition, location, and the seller’s apparent motivation.
Give buyers a negotiation range, not a promise
Agents should be careful about promising buyers that a seller “will take less.”
Unless the seller has communicated that directly through the appropriate channel, it is still an assumption.
A better approach is to explain the range of plausible outcomes.
For example:
“The listing history and nearby competition suggest there may be room to negotiate, but the home is now priced closer to the market. We can write an offer that tests the seller’s flexibility while keeping the terms credible enough to start a conversation.”
That is more useful than:
“It has been sitting. They’re probably desperate.”
The first statement helps the buyer make a decision.
The second creates an expectation the agent may not be able to deliver.
A practical buyer conversation
When buyers say, “There are more homes now, so we should offer low,” the response can be simple:
“More inventory gives you more choice, and that can create leverage. But we still need to measure the leverage on this particular home. Let’s look at how long it has been at this price, what else is competing with it, whether the seller has made adjustments, and what terms may matter most to them. Then we can decide where to push.”
That does not discourage negotiation.
It makes the negotiation more informed.
You can also ask the buyer:
“If the seller will not accept our preferred price, which other part of the deal would improve the outcome most for you?”
That question shifts the conversation from winning one number to building the strongest overall agreement.
The bottom line
A market with more listings may give buyers more opportunity.
It does not make every listing negotiable in the same way.
Leverage depends on the property, price point, competition, seller circumstances, buyer strength, and terms of the offer.
The agent’s job is not to repeat that the market favors buyers or sellers.
It is to determine what the facts mean in this transaction.
That may mean pushing harder on price.
It may mean asking for concessions instead.
It may mean writing cleaner terms to secure the right property.
And sometimes it may mean telling the buyer that the leverage they expected is not actually there.
More inventory creates possibilities.
Good representation identifies which possibilities are real.
If you made it this far…
You may be a good fit for NREB Premium.
Every Saturday, Premium delivers one focused briefing with client-ready talking points, buyer and seller guidance, objection responses, follow-up angles, and practical scripts you can use in the week ahead.
Start your 14-day free trial and you’ll be taken directly to last Saturday’s Premium edition. Depending on when you join, you may also receive about two more Saturday briefings before the trial ends.
We’ll send you a reminder 48 hours before billing begins, so there are no surprise charges.
This free-trial offer expires Saturday, July 18, 2026.
After the trial, Founder Edition pricing is $7.99/month or $79/year.