Hey friends. One of the most underused tools buyers have in 2026 is the seller concession. Nearly half of all resale transactions in Wake County this year have included some form of seller concession. If you are buying and not asking for concessions, you may be leaving real money on the table.
Here is how they work and how to get them.
What a Seller Concession Actually Is
A seller concession is money the seller agrees to pay on your behalf at closing. It shows up as a credit on your closing disclosure and reduces the cash you need to bring to the table. You are not getting a discount on the home's price. You are getting help covering the costs of buying it.
Common forms of seller concessions in the Triangle right now:
- Closing cost credits: The most common. In Wake County these typically run $5,000 to $10,000.
- Repair credits: After your inspection reveals issues, you request a credit rather than asking the seller to fix things before closing.
- Rate buydowns: The seller pays to temporarily or permanently reduce your mortgage rate. A 2-1 buydown on a mid-price Triangle home typically costs $7,000 to $15,000 and meaningfully lowers your first two years of payments.
- Home warranties and appliance packages: Common on homes in the $350,000 to $500,000 range.
How Much Can a Seller Contribute?
This depends on your loan type. The limits are set by the loan program, not by the seller or your agent.
- Conventional loan with less than 10% down: maximum 3% of the purchase price.
- Conventional loan with 10% to 25% down: maximum 6%.
- Conventional loan with more than 25% down: maximum 9%.
- FHA loan: maximum 6% of the lesser of purchase price or appraised value.
- VA loan: seller can cover all allowable closing costs plus up to 4% of the loan amount in additional concessions.
- USDA loan: maximum 6% of the purchase price.
One important note: seller concessions cannot go toward your down payment under any loan program. They cover closing costs, prepaid items, and buydowns.
When to Ask and How
Ask in your initial offer. Do not wait until after you are under contract. A concession request written into your offer from the start is a negotiated term, and sellers are prepared for it in this market. Asking after the fact feels like a surprise and can create friction.
Structure it as a clean dollar amount. "Seller to contribute $8,000 toward buyer's closing costs" is clear. Vague requests create confusion.
Know your loan limit before you ask. If your loan type caps concessions at 3% and you ask for more, the excess cannot be applied. Work with your lender to confirm exactly how much you can receive before you write the offer.
Using the Inspection to Negotiate Additional Credits
After your inspection, you will likely have findings worth negotiating. In North Carolina, requesting a repair credit (seller lowers the price or adds a closing cost credit rather than making repairs) is often cleaner and faster than asking the seller to manage contractors before closing. Inspection credits in the Triangle average $5,000 to $12,000 on homes 15 or more years old and $1,000 to $3,000 on newer homes.
This is separate from any concession you asked for in the original offer. A seller who already agreed to $7,000 in closing cost credits may still agree to an additional $3,000 repair credit after inspection if the findings warrant it.
The Rate Buydown Option
If mortgage rates are a concern, consider asking the seller for a rate buydown rather than a price reduction. A seller-funded 2-1 buydown lowers your rate by 2% in year one and 1% in year two before settling at your note rate in year three. For many buyers the monthly savings in those first two years are more valuable than an equivalent price reduction. And sellers often prefer contributing to a buydown over cutting the sale price because it does not change the comparable sales data for their neighborhood.
What the Market Looks Like Right Now
This is the right time to ask. In 2026, sellers in Wake County are more motivated than they have been since before the pandemic. Homes are sitting longer. Concession rates are near 47% of resale transactions. Sellers who have already reduced their price once are particularly open to concession requests because they have demonstrated flexibility.
The buyer who knows how to ask, knows the limits, and structures the request correctly is the buyer who walks away from closing with more money in their pocket.
Reach out if you want help building a concession strategy into your next offer.