Jay QuigleyReal Estate Broker Associate, Florida Executive Realty · Tampa Bay REALTOR® & Real Estate Instructor | Helping Buyers, Sellers, Seniors, Military Relocation, Divorce and Probate Clients Make Confident Moves | Believer | Husband

More Tampa Bay buyers are negotiating incentives—and sellers need to be ready | Jay Sells Tampa

23 Jul 2026 · 1 min

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1:08

In this short market commentary, Tampa Bay real‑estate specialist Jay Quigley explains that the traditional "take‑it‑or‑leave‑it" stance in home transactions is disappearing. He notes a sharp increase in sellers and builders offering concessions—such as covering closing costs, repairs, or rate buydowns—and buyers responding with their own incentives. Recent data shows that nearly half of sellers have provided a concession, the highest share for this time of year, while over 60% of buyers have offered incentives to attract sellers. Quigley interprets this as a shift toward compromise as the new norm. He advises buyers to leverage the negotiating space and urges sellers to anticipate and accommodate buyer requests, warning that inflexibility could jeopardize a sale, especially as builders are also more flexible. He concludes with an invitation to connect for personalized guidance on realistic asks and offers in the Tampa market.

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Buying or selling this year? The days of take-it-or-leave-it attitudes are fading fast. Here in the Tampa Bay area, I've noticed more sellers and builders are sweetening deals with concessions and incentives lately. Those are things like helping with closing costs, covering repairs, and rate buydowns. Look at this. Recently, almost half of sellers gave buyers a concession to close. That's the highest share on record for this time of year, and more than 60% of buyers offered incentives to attract buyers. That tells me compromise is the new norm. Buyers expect it, builders embrace it, and sellers are accepting it. So what does this mean? If you're buying, there's probably room to negotiate. Use it. And if you're selling, expect buyers to ask for extras and think twice before digging in your heels. Because with builders bending right now too, not budging could cost you the sale. Let's connect and I'll walk you through what's realistic to ask for or offer in our Tampa market.