# Rates Went Up. Your Negotiating Power Just Went Up With Them.

By Scott Shannon (@scottshannon) · Published 2026-09-22

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Everybody's groaning about mortgage rates again. Freddie Mac's weekly survey has the 30-year fixed sitting at 6.95%, up almost two-tenths of a point in a single week. Florida's own numbers back it up. Statewide sales slowed in August even as inventory tightened, according to Florida Realtors' chief economist. Translation: buyers are hesitating, and sellers are starting to feel it.

Here's the part nobody tells you. Every time rates tick up and buyers get spooked, sellers get more willing to deal. Not just on price either. Price is honestly the least interesting lever on the table right now.

Think about it from the seller's side. Their house has been sitting. Showings slowed down weeks ago. Every extra week on the market is a week paying two mortgages, or watching a moving timeline slip, or just getting tired of keeping the place show-ready with three kids and a dog. That seller isn't in a position to say no to a real conversation. They're in a position to say yes to almost anything that gets it closed.

So what's actually negotiable? Basically everything.

Price, obviously. But also the roof. The air conditioner. We've gotten sellers to put on a brand new roof before closing because an inspection flagged it, instead of the buyer eating that cost in year one. Same with an aging AC unit, a water heater, whatever the inspection turns up. A desperate seller would rather fix it than lose the deal.

Then there's the move that actually matters most with rates where they are: seller-paid concessions that go toward buying your rate down. Instead of negotiating $10,000 off the price, negotiate $10,000 in seller credits and use it to permanently buy the interest rate down for the life of the loan. Same seller, same house, completely different monthly payment. Closing costs can get wrapped into that ask too, so buyers aren't scraping together extra cash on top of a down payment.

None of this happens with a seller juggling three other offers and zero urgency. It happens with the seller who's been sitting for two months, watching rates climb, and starting to accept that this isn't 2021 anymore.

That seller is out there right now, and there are more of them than there were six months ago. Homes are sitting longer. Buyers who've been on the sidelines waiting for rates to magically drop are actually sitting on more leverage than they realize. They're just not using it.

If you've been priced out or just discouraged, this might be the exact moment to get pre-approved and find out what a seller might actually give up to get a deal done. Costs nothing to ask.

What would you push for if you knew a seller was desperate to sell? Price, the roof, the rate, or all three?