Buyers Finally Have Leverage Again—Here's How to Use It
Buyers Finally Have Leverage Again—Here's How to Use It
(Watch this weeks video here. - youtu.be/Ec1BVe6PZAI?si=TmPFwuch0eImIQOy)
For years, buyers were told: offer more, waive this, waive that and hope. Those days aren't completely gone—but the rules have changed.
Remember buying a house a few years ago?
See the house Friday.
Offers due Sunday.
Offer over asking.
Limit contingencies.
Don't ask for repairs.
And then...
Hope.
For many buyers, purchasing a home felt less like a negotiation and more like an audition.
But heading into Fall 2026, something important has changed.
Buyers finally have some leverage again.
That doesn't mean every seller is desperate.
It doesn't mean every home is overpriced.
And it certainly doesn't mean you should automatically offer $50,000 below asking price.
It means something much more useful:
In the right situation, buyers may once again be able to NEGOTIATE.
What's Changed?
Maryland is still dealing with relatively tight housing supply, so this is NOT a blanket buyer's market.
According to Maryland REALTORS®, Maryland had approximately a three-month supply of homes in July, compared with 4.6 months nationally. Active inventory was actually 12.9% lower than July 2025.
But there's another side to the story.
Active inventory increased 15.8% between April and July, and the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro had 15.1% more active listings in June than a year earlier. Maryland showings were also down 2.6% year-over-year in July.
In other words:
Some buyers have more choices—and sellers are increasingly competing for those buyers.
[Source: Maryland REALTORS®, July 2026 Housing Stats]
And when a seller needs to compete for your business, negotiation becomes possible.
1. Ask About Closing-Cost Assistance
This may be one of the most valuable opportunities for today's buyer.
Instead of focusing exclusively on getting $10,000 knocked off the purchase price, consider whether $10,000 toward your closing costs could help you more.
Why?
Because reducing the price by $10,000 may only change your monthly principal-and-interest payment by a relatively modest amount.
But $10,000 in seller assistance—when permitted by your loan program and transaction structure—could potentially mean $10,000 less cash you need at settlement.
That's real money you can keep available for moving expenses, furniture, repairs or your emergency fund.
Seller concessions have become increasingly common nationally. Redfin reported in June that sellers were increasingly using concessions such as closing-cost assistance and repair credits to attract buyers as affordability pressures continued.
[Source: Redfin, Seller Concessions Report, June 22, 2026]
2. Keep Your Home Inspection
Remember when buyers were waiving inspections just to make their offers competitive?
In some transactions, buyers may now have more opportunity to preserve meaningful inspection protections.
That doesn't mean an inspection is a license to demand that the seller fix every loose doorknob.
The goal is to understand what you're buying.
Roof.
HVAC.
Electrical.
Plumbing.
Foundation.
Water intrusion.
Safety concerns.
Potentially expensive problems.
Depending on the contract, property and market conditions, an inspection can provide information and potentially an opportunity to negotiate repairs, credits or other solutions.
Knowing what you're buying is leverage.
3. Negotiate Repairs Strategically
Suppose the inspection finds an aging HVAC system.
You could demand a new system.
The seller could say no.
Deal over.
But what if instead you negotiate a reasonable credit toward replacement?
Or prioritize the three issues that actually matter instead of presenting the seller with a list of 37 minor items?
Good negotiation isn't about “winning” every point.
It's about solving the problems that matter most.
4. Financing Contingencies Matter Again
During the most competitive years, buyers sometimes took substantial risks to strengthen their offers.
Today's market may allow more financed buyers to compete without trying to imitate cash buyers.
Realtor.com reported in August that cash purchases represented 31.4% of sales during the first four months of 2026, down from 32.3% a year earlier. The actual number of cash purchases declined 11.2% year-over-year, faster than overall sales.
Even here in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro, cash represented 22.9% of sales during that period, down slightly from a year earlier.
Realtor.com's economists said improving inventory and changing market conditions are giving financed buyers more opportunities to compete.
[Source: Realtor.com®, August 18, 2026]
That's good news if you're obtaining a mortgage.
Cash remains attractive to sellers because of certainty and reduced financing risk.
But cash isn't the only way to win.
5. Look at Days on Market
Here's where things get interesting.
A beautiful home that came on the market yesterday at a compelling price?
You may have very little leverage.
There could be several buyers looking at it.
But what about the house that's been sitting for:
30 days?
45 days?
60 days?
What about a home that has already reduced its price?
That's where I start asking questions.
Why hasn't it sold?
Is it simply overpriced?
Does it need cosmetic work?
Did another contract fall through?
Has the seller already purchased another home?
Are they relocating?
Is timing becoming important?
Days on market can change the conversation.
Nationally, Realtor.com reported that 20% of active listings had experienced a price reduction in July.
[Source: Realtor.com®, July 2026 Housing Market Trends]
That doesn't mean every older listing is a bargain.
It means it's worth investigating.
6. Negotiate More Than Price
Here's one of the biggest mistakes buyers make:
They think negotiation means only one thing.
PRICE.
It doesn't.
Depending on the transaction, negotiation might involve:
Seller-paid closing costs.
Repairs.
Credits.
Settlement date.
Possession date.
Personal property.
Home warranties.
Financing contingencies.
Inspection terms.
Or other contract provisions.
Sometimes the best deal isn't the lowest purchase price.
It's the transaction that leaves you in the strongest financial position AFTER settlement.
But Please Don't Confuse Leverage With Lowballing
This is important.
Having leverage does NOT mean:
“The house is listed at $600,000, so let's offer $525,000 and see what happens.”
Could there be circumstances where that makes sense?
Absolutely.
But leverage should come from evidence, not wishful thinking.
Look at comparable sales.
Look at condition.
Look at competing listings.
Look at days on market.
Look at previous price reductions.
Then build an offer around the situation.
If the house was listed yesterday, beautifully updated, correctly priced and already has multiple offers...
You probably don't have much leverage.
If it's been sitting for 75 days and needs work?
That's a different conversation.
Your Goal Isn't to Beat the Seller
This may be the most important thing I can tell buyers.
Real estate negotiation isn't supposed to have a winner and a loser.
The seller wants to sell.
You want to buy.
Our job is to find the point where both sides can say:
“That works.”
Sometimes that means negotiating price.
Sometimes closing costs.
Sometimes repairs.
Sometimes timing.
And sometimes the smartest decision is recognizing that the seller isn't ready to make a deal—and walking away.
Being willing to walk away may be the strongest leverage a buyer has.
The Bottom Line
For several years, buyers had very few choices.
Today, the balance is shifting in some parts of the market.
You may be able to:
Keep important protections.
Request reasonable repairs.
Negotiate closing-cost assistance.
Use financing without feeling automatically disadvantaged.
Negotiate harder on homes that have been sitting.
But don't confuse opportunity with entitlement.
Leverage isn't permission to make a bad offer.
It's the ability to make a SMARTER offer.
The winning buyer in Fall 2026 isn't necessarily the buyer who offers the most.
It may be the buyer who understands:
WHAT to ask for.
WHEN to ask for it.
And when NOT to push.
That's what good negotiation looks like.
Maryland Real Estate Professionals w/ RE/MAX Realty Plus
References used in the article
For your published version, I'd make the bracketed [Source: …] references clickable to these pages:
Maryland REALTORS' August 19 report is the strongest local source. July sales were essentially flat year-over-year, active inventory had climbed 15.8% since April, but Maryland still had 12.9% fewer active homes than a year earlier. The Baltimore metro was an exception, with active listings up 15.1% year-over-year in June.
Maryland REALTORS — July 2026 Housing Stats
Redfin's June 2026 concessions report is useful for establishing the national negotiating trend. It specifically identifies closing costs, repairs and upgrades as examples of concessions sellers are using. It also found 15.7% of May sales nationally had both a concession and a price drop, up from 12.8% a year earlier.
Redfin — 2026 Seller Concessions Report
Realtor.com's August 18 analysis provides particularly useful evidence for the financing section. Cash represented 31.4% of transactions nationally during January–April 2026 versus 32.3% a year earlier; cash transaction volume fell 11.2%, versus an 8.5% decline in total sales. Baltimore's cash share was 22.9%, down 0.5 percentage points.
Realtor.com — Cash Buyers Pull Back in 2026
Finally, Realtor.com's July report found that 20% of active listings nationally had experienced a price reduction. That's useful context for explaining why an aging listing can present a different negotiating opportunity from a hot new listing.
