Are Sellers Only Becoming Flexible Once It’s Too Late?

Question

We recently had a client in Texas run into a situation that really stood out. During due diligence, the seller was firm on everything—limited cooperation, delays, and no willingness to grant even a short extension. With no progress, our client eventually had to terminate.

Here’s the interesting part: right after termination, the seller and broker suddenly offered everything our client had originally asked for—extensions, access, updated terms. But by then, it was too late to revive the contract.

We’re starting to notice this behavior more often: sellers pushing inflexibility to the limit, then becoming cooperative only after buyers step away.

Are you seeing similar patterns in your market?

Would love to hear what others are experiencing.

Myrna Gourgy · Answer

Yes I’ve definitely been seeing this lately especially here in Nashville. Sellers stay firm through due diligence thinking buyers will fold but more and more I’m seeing buyers walk when things feel off. Then as soon as the termination hits everyone suddenly wants to play nice. Extensions show up. Access is granted. Terms get flexible. But at that point the trust is gone and the momentum is lost. I do think this mindset is a reflection of the listing agent in the transaction at times.

As we all know we are in a buyer’s market right now and I think there’s a miscommunication happening between some listing agents and their sellers about the true state of the market. A lot of sellers are still moving like it’s peak season or peak pricing and they’re missing what’s actually happening on the ground.

I’m in the Nashville market and we were just ranked in the top ten most moved-to cities in the country for 2024. That lines up with what I see every day. Our job market is strong, property taxes are relatively low, and the economy overall is still pulling people in. But even with all that, inventory is up, prices are stabilizing, and buyers have more choices than they’ve had in years. There’s way less pressure than there used to be and that changes how deals get done.

One thing I always remind people is that Nashville slows down hard during the holidays. The travel in and out of the city picks up and activity drops fast. So even in a growing market, we’re still seeing that seasonal drag.

Ronald Rohde · Answer

I think so, most Sellers react too late to whatever it is. That's why theres a general market lag in both directions

Caleb Brown · Answer

I am seeing a mix. Some sellers are going with the market and negotiating. Then there is other sellers that are firm. Often they sit on the market and miss out. They still think it's 2020-2022. Certain areas are still hot so they can be picky but that's a small piece of the pie

Account Closed · Answer

On my end, I'm seeing the same thing. Many sellers remain adamant about everything because they still believe that the 2020–2022 market is crazy. then question why the house is there. More than one-third of listings on Redfin are currently receiving price reductions, and Zillow has seen a significant increase in homes that have been listed for more than 90 days, which typically indicates that the seller held on for too long.

Bill B. · Answer

I’m sure it swings both ways. There are certainly buyers out there who think it’s 2010 and want 20-30% off. It almost defeats the purpose of listing slightly below market. They just want 20-30% off that lower number. You’re better off listing 10% over market if you’re going to give someone 20% off.

Ps. I assume by “after it’s too late” you mean your buyer has moved on. It seems unlikely that it wouldn’t be possible to revive the deal, maybe even at a better price with all the concessions.

Nadeem Alamgir · Answer

I've seen it happen a handful of times in my market, but not always the case. Depends on how motivated the seller is really.