We've been brainstorming creative solutions with our lending partners to help not only our buyers, but our sellers too. In our team meeting yesterday, we had Ryan Pettegrew from Zenith Home Loans in to chat with us about one approach that takes a page straight from the new construction playbook: strategic incentives. Rather than offering vague or generic seller concessions, we’re helping sellers stand out by offering something much more tangible—a permanent interest rate buydown.

Right now, getting a buyer into the 5% range on their mortgage rate costs about 3% of the home’s sale price (this assumes approximately 10% down). That’s often equal to the concessions sellers are already prepared to offer, but this approach feels far more meaningful to buyers. It puts real money back in their pockets every month and reframes the conversation from “we’re negotiating” to “you’re getting a deal.”

This strategy aims to help our listings gain more traction by making affordability feel attainable again. If you’re thinking about selling and want to talk strategy, let’s chat about how we can use tools like this to create momentum and help your home stand out in the current sea of listings.