Thursday, July 30, 2026 / by Ramona Williams
Buyers Have More Room to Negotiate Right Now
| Buyer Advice |
| Buyers Have More Room to Negotiate Right Now — Here's How Not to Waste It |
| It depends on your situation — but here's what I'm telling almost every buyer I work with in Colorado Springs this summer: the market has shifted in your favor, but "more leverage" doesn't mean "skip the homework." I'm seeing buyers make two opposite mistakes right now — either they still negotiate like it's 2022, scared to ask for anything, or they assume every seller is desperate and push too hard on a home that was never overpriced to begin with. Both cost people money. |
| Why This Is Different From a Year Ago |
| With homes sitting a bit longer and inventory a little healthier than it's been in years, buyers finally have some breathing room — time to actually think, to get an inspection without waiving it out of fear, to ask for repairs instead of just being grateful for an accepted offer. That's real, and it's worth using. But it doesn't erase the fundamentals: financing still needs to be solid, comparable sales still set the ceiling on what a home is worth, and a home priced right by an informed seller isn't going to bend just because the market softened a little. |
| Here's What That Actually Means for You |
| Get underwritten pre-approval, not just a pre-qualification letter. In a market with more competition among buyers for well-priced homes, a fully underwritten pre-approval (not just a quick online estimate) is still what separates an offer a seller trusts from one they'll pass on for a stronger buyer. |
| Use the extra time for real due diligence, not extra hesitation. More days on market means you can actually schedule a second showing, bring a contractor by, or sleep on a decision. Use that time to get informed — not to talk yourself out of a home that fits. |
| Negotiate off the comps, not off the vibe. "The market's softer, so I'll offer low" isn't a strategy — it's a guess. I pull the actual comparable sales for the specific home so your offer is grounded in something a seller's agent has to take seriously. |
| Don't confuse a slower market with a weak seller. Some homes are sitting because they're overpriced. Others are sitting simply because summer inventory is up. Knowing which one you're looking at changes whether you negotiate hard or move quickly. |
| A Story From My Own Clients |
| As a military spouse myself, I've sat on both sides of this — as the buyer racing a PCS timeline, and now as the agent helping families do the same thing. I had a buyer couple a few weeks ago who almost walked away from a home because they assumed the seller would keep dropping the price if they just waited. The comps didn't support that. We made a fair offer grounded in the data, asked for a few specific repairs instead of a blanket credit, and closed without a bidding war or a standoff. That's usually how it goes when the numbers, not the nerves, drive the offer. |
| This is what I'd tell you if you called me today: use the room this market is giving you, but use it with information, not assumptions. That's my job — to make sure you're well informed before you write an offer, not after. |
| Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act, which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. |
| Ramona Williams | Springs Home Team | eXp Realty LLC 719-244-2333 | Ramona@myspringshometeam.com | 719coloradohome.com |
