Home Sellers Are Finally Giving Up: Concessions Are Everywhere (Video)

In this 23 September 2026 published video, host Michael Bordenaro talks about home sellers offered concessions in 44.7 percent of U.S. home sales in August 2026, reaching the highest share for the month of August since 2020. This trend reflects a shifting housing market where buyers hold increased negotiating leverage.

The US housing market is experiencing a massive structural shift as home sellers are losing their leverage, driving a surging imbalance where sellers heavily outnumber active buyers. According to data from August 2026, sellers outnumbered buyers nationwide by 58 percent—marking the widest gap since tracking began in 2013. This shift has created a market that heavily favors the buyers who remain, forcing desperate sellers to alter their strategies or walk away entirely. 

The supply of homes for sale has risen to an 11-year high, hitting roughly 4.9 months of inventory. However, transaction volume is incredibly stagnant, with 2026 on track to be the weakest year for home sales since 2011. Buyers have overwhelmingly pulled back due to severe affordability barriers. Rates have marched back close to 7 percent—the highest levels seen in years—greatly compounding monthly payment costs. While price growth has slowed compared to inflation, baseline property values remain stubbornly high, pricing out a record number of potential buyers. Active buyer counts have hit historic lows, dropping to fewer than 970,000 nationwide while active sellers sit near 1.46 million.

Because homes are sitting on the market much longer—averaging 47 days in standard metro markets like Denver—sellers can no longer demand premium terms. Instead, they are giving in to buyer demands through heavy concessions. This trend is most aggressive across the Sun Belt region. 

• Atlanta: 73 percent of real estate deals now include seller concessions.
• Charlotte: 67 percent of sales involve concessions.
• Phoenix: 67 percent of sales involve concessions.

These concessions typically look like closing cost credits, cash for repair allowances, or buying down the borrower’s mortgage interest rate to make the monthly payment manageable. 

For sellers who refuse to drop their prices or offer major concessions, the alternative has been to capitulate and take the property off the market entirely. The market has seen a massive wave of delistings reaching their highest levels since 2017, prominently concentrated in highly populated metros like Miami, Denver, Phoenix, and Riverside, California. Many sellers use this delisting strategy to reset their “days on market” counter, hoping to relist a few months later to revive buyer interest without looking desperate. However, with builder price cuts expanding and rental prices softening, macro pressure continues to mount against sellers trying to hold the line.

https://youtu.be/ItYAKC6FhDE