Coaching Tuesday: How to Negotiate a Better Deal for Your Buyers (Without Blowing It Up)

Sellers now outnumber buyers by 63%.

For most of the last several years, a lot of agents learned to write offers one way: full price or better, waive whatever you can, and hope. That playbook is upside down right now, and the agents who adjust are going to get their buyers better deals and close more of them.

Here's why this matters now. Redfin's September numbers showed roughly 1.51 million sellers and about 929,000 buyers nationwide, the widest gap in their records going back to 2013, with 41 of the 50 metros they track in buyer's market territory (Redfin). NAR has inventory at a 4.8-month supply with homes taking a median 33 days to sell (NAR). And Redfin found 44.7% of August sales included some kind of seller concession, the highest August share since at least 2020 (Mortgage Professional).

But here's the catch. As Redfin's Asad Khan put it, this is "a buyer's market born out of caution, not strength." Buyers are skittish, rates are sitting around 7.4% (more in Friday's recap), and every deal is precious. So the job isn't just to squeeze the seller. It's to get your buyer the best deal this market allows without blowing up the one house they love.

Here's how I'd coach it.

Don't Pull Out Your List of 24 Tactics

There are dozens of negotiation tactics out there. If every time you hit a negotiation point you pull out your list to review, you're likely to fail.

What you need instead is a simple process you can run on the fly: quickly size up the situation, consult with your clients, come to a game plan, and execute.

Step 1: Read the Balance of Power

You negotiate one property at a time, not one headline. Before you talk price, look at:

• Days on market compared to your local median.

• Price reductions and how recent they are.

• Competing listings your buyer could walk to instead.

• Recent comps, especially anything that closed since the last price cut.

Quick pro tip: a home that's been sitting for a while but just had a price reduction can suddenly get renewed attention. That's a "move quickly" signal, not a "lowball it" signal.

Then pick up the phone and call the listing agent before you write anything. You can find out so much good stuff: other activity, seller hot buttons, a preferred closing date. Good agents don't squander that opportunity.

In the script below, notice I say "we might be writing," even when I know for certain we're going to. Here's why. When I'm the listing agent and someone calls to say an offer is coming, the first thing I do is call everyone else who showed the property and send a blast to every showing: hey, got an offer, if you're interested please respond quickly. Don't wake up your own competition.

"Hi [Name], this is [you] with [brokerage]. I showed [address] yesterday and my buyers really liked it. We might be writing something. Before we do, what's going on with the property? Any other activity? And is there anything that matters most to your sellers, like a closing date or possession?"

(As always, vet the script and make it your own.)

Step 2: Define the Win and the No-Go

This is the heart of it. As you size up the situation with your buyer, figure out two things: what's a win, and what's a no-go. Essentially, you're defining the playing field before anyone makes a move.

For example, say the inspection turns up a list of items. Your buyer's stance might be that the roof is the no-go: the seller has to address it, and everything else is a bonus. So you go in asking for the full list, knowing you can horse-trade and give up some items, as long as you get the roof. And if you're good, you get some additional stuff on top.

Same idea on the front end. Lay out the playing field, show the options with their pluses and minuses, then stop talking and let your buyer decide. (More on that approach in How To Lead Your Clients.)

"Here's where things stand. This home has been on the market [X] days and had [one] price cut. There are [three] similar homes you could see this weekend. We have room to negotiate, but if we push too hard we could lose it. So two questions: what would make this a win for you? And what's the one thing that, if we don't get it, you'd walk away?"

(As always, vet the script and make it your own.)

Step 3: Know Your Levers

In most markets, these are the levers you can push on or give up:

1. Price. The obvious one, but rarely the only one.

2. Concessions. Asking (or not asking) for a credit toward closing costs or points. With concessions this common, sellers expect the ask.

3. Closing date. Sooner or later, whichever the seller needs.

4. Possession after closing. A seller who needs a few extra days in the home will value that.

5. Inspection. In a slower market, don't reflexively waive it. It's protection and it's a negotiation tool.

6. Appraisal gap coverage. A seller's-market lever. Most of the time today, your buyer shouldn't be offering it.

The trick is trading. Give the seller something that's cheap for your buyer (a flexible closing date, a few days of possession) and ask for something that's valuable to your buyer (a credit, the roof).

A couple of guardrails. Whether a credit should go toward closing costs or toward buying down the rate, and how much the loan program allows, are questions for your buyer's lender, so get them on the phone before you write. And with closings getting pushed lately, confirm the rate lock expiration against your proposed closing date every time.

Step 4: Write It Clean, Then Call to Position It

Once your buyer has picked a direction, write the offer clean. No mistakes, no errors, no sloppiness. Badly written contracts scare away good listing agents, and good agents would rather work with other solid agents.

Then call. If someone sends me an offer without a call to position it, I see that as a red flag: either a subpar agent or a client who isn't that serious. You and your buyer put a lot of time into this. Why leave the last critical step undone?

And use a specific acceptance deadline time. Make it as short as you can without irritating the sellers. The more time there is, the more chance competition or something else gets in the way. Create momentum and ride it.

"Hey [Name], I just sent over our offer on [address] and wanted to walk you through it so nothing gets lost. My buyers are pre-approved with [lender] and they love the home. The price reflects the comps since your last reduction, and we've asked for [amount] toward closing costs. They can be flexible on closing to fit your sellers' timeline. Our deadline is [time] tomorrow. What questions can I answer for you, and is there anything that would make this easier for your sellers to say yes to?"

(As always, vet the script and make it your own.)

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

The good: when you plan the win and the no-go together, your buyer understands the break points going in. That draws you together. Instead of "why didn't you deliver," you're a team working the plan, and it's not nearly as much of a white-knuckle ride for them because they know what's coming.

The bad: not every listing is a buyer's market listing. Redfin still counts a handful of seller's markets, and a fresh, well-priced home in a good neighborhood can still draw multiple offers. If you treat that home like a stale listing, your buyer loses it.

The ugly: overplaying the hand. Asking for every concession in the book on a home your buyer loves, or sending a lowball that insults the seller, can kill a deal that should have closed. Push for the best terms, but know when to pull back. Your job is the best deal possible while keeping the transaction intact. That balance is what separates the good agents from the great.

One more: if negotiations stall over value after you're under contract, we covered that in How To Negotiate When The Appraisal Comes In Low. And if you're on the listing side of this market, The Price Cut Conversation is your companion read. Any contract or legal questions go to your managing broker or an attorney.

In Closing

The balance of power has shifted, and that's a real opportunity for buyer agents who know how to use it. Read the property, not the headline. Define the win and the no-go with your buyer. Know your levers and trade them smart. Write it clean, call to position it, and keep the deal together.

Do that consistently, and your buyers will feel like they got a great deal, because they did, and they'll remember who got it for them when it's time to sell or refer a friend.

Onward and upward!

Growing a Team or Brokerage?

I built my own brokerage to 130+ agents and have spent my career on the systems that drive growth. Now I help team leaders and brokers build theirs.

• Recruiting funnels that bring in a steady flow of quality agents

• CRM setup and adoption so your agents actually use the tools you pay for

• Lead conversion and follow-up systems that turn more leads into closings

• Coaching and training for high-performing agents and the leaders who develop them

If you’re looking to grow your team or get more out of the one you have, let’s talk.

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