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You find a home you like. The seller just lowered the price. Then a headline says home prices are still rising, and you wonder whether asking for another reduction would be unreasonable.
It might be reasonable. Rising sale prices and asking-price cuts can coexist because they measure different homes at different stages. Your negotiating position depends on the property in front of you, not which national headline sounds stronger.
Start by separating sold prices from asking prices
The national median existing-home sale price was 1.3% higher in September 2026 than a year earlier, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. That measure describes homes that completed a sale. It does not establish whether today’s asking price for a particular house is reasonable.
NAR: September 2026 existing-home sales report (new tab)
An asking-price reduction measures something else. Realtor.com reported that 20.8% of active listings had a price cut in September. The denominator is active listings, not completed sales. A seller can start too high, reduce the price and still remain above comparable sales.
Market mix can also move a median. If the homes closing this month differ in size, location or price range from those sold a year ago, the median can change without every individual property moving by the same percentage. Realtor.com’s report notes that headline list-price and price-per-square-foot trends can diverge when the inventory mix changes.
Sacramento’s numbers show why context matters
Realtor.com’s September report listed a 22.0% price-reduced share for the Sacramento–Roseville–Folsom metropolitan area. Yet its median time on market was five days shorter than a year earlier. Price cuts were present, but that does not mean every home was taking longer to sell.
These are metro-wide listing measures, not Sacramento County closed-sale statistics or a verdict on a particular Roseville neighborhood. Use them to frame questions. Then narrow the search to homes similar to yours, in the area and price range where you would actually buy.
Build a leverage file for the specific home
Ask your agent for recent closed sales that genuinely resemble the property. Focus on location, size, age, condition, lot, important features and sale date. CFPB explains that valuations compare homes with similar local sales and adjust for differences. Different comparables or dates can produce different conclusions.
Why did I receive different valuations during the mortgage loan application process? (new tab)
Next, examine the homes a buyer could choose instead. A seller may have less room to move if the property is the strongest option in its price range and competing homes are already pending. More leverage may exist when similar active homes cost less, offer better condition or have stayed available long enough to give buyers choices.
Put the evidence on one page before deciding on a number.
- Three to five relevant closed sales, with meaningful differences noted
- Active and pending alternatives in the same practical search area
- Original price, current price and total market time
- Prior relistings or failed contracts, with the reason verified when possible
- Documented condition, repair or insurance issues that affect ownership costs
Read market time together with seller behavior
A longer listing period can create an opening, but it does not reveal what the seller will accept. The seller may care most about price, closing certainty, timing or avoiding another repair. Ask whether other offers exist, whether a previous contract failed and which terms matter now.
A price cut proves that the seller changed the asking price. It does not prove that the current price is a bargain or that another reduction will be accepted. Compare the new number with your closed-sale range and competing listings. If it still sits above the evidence, your agent can explain that gap with facts rather than a general claim that buyers have leverage.
The same discipline applies to a new listing. If comparable sales support the price and good alternatives are scarce, a steep discount may simply lose the property. Negotiating room is specific, not automatic.
Negotiate without giving away necessary protection
Price is only one part of an offer. Inspection access, financing, appraisal, timing and responsibility for repairs can matter to both sides. CFPB advises buyers to consider financing and inspection contingencies and to check the full monthly budget and property-specific insurance risk.
Consider a hypothetical home listed at $650,000 after 45 days. Three similar recent sales fall between $630,000 and $640,000, another comparable home is actively listed at $635,000, and written estimates identify needed work. Together, those facts can support a conversation below the asking price. They do not dictate one correct offer because competition, exact condition and the seller’s priorities still matter.
Decide which protections you need before adjusting other terms. A lower price is not useful if the contract leaves you with a repair, insurance or financing problem you cannot absorb.
Ask one question before writing the offer
Ask: what evidence supports this price for this home today? Your agent can assemble comparable sales, listing history, current alternatives and known property issues. Your lender can show how the proposed price, taxes and insurance fit the payment you are prepared to carry.
If the evidence supports negotiating, a rising national median does not remove that opportunity. If the evidence supports the asking price, a broad claim about buyer leverage does not create a discount. Keep the conversation anchored to the home and the choices actually in front of you.
General education, not an appraisal or individualized mortgage, real estate or legal advice. Market observations describe September 2026 and may change.
Sources and further reading
Sources checked October 18, 2026.
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