Kenna Real Estate Group · Colorado sellers
63% of Denver-area sellers gave a concession this year, averaging about $10,000. Here is when to offer one, when to cut the price instead, and the net-proceeds math either way.
A live person answers. Not a robot, not a phone tree.
A credit is a targeted price cut. $11,200 off the price lowers a buyer's payment about $74 a month. The same $11,200 as a 2-1 buydown lowers it $616 a month in year one, and it costs you exactly the same at closing. That is why 63% of Denver-area sellers gave a concession this year, and why the ones who did netted about 98% of list while the ones who held out and cut late netted about 93%.
Sellers giving a concession
63%
Average about $10,000.
Net of list, priced right + credit
98%
Sold in about 53 days.
Net after a late price cut
93%
After 50+ days on market.
2-1 buydown cost to you
$11,200
Paid at closing from proceeds.
| What you see | The problem | The move |
|---|---|---|
| Few showings | Price is above the buyer pool | Price cut of 3% to 5%, one time |
| Showings but no offers | Payment or condition doubt | Offer a $10,000 to $15,000 credit for buydown or closing costs |
| Offers with repair lists | Condition | Credit in lieu of repairs; do not hire contractors |
| Under contract, buyer wavering at 7% | Payment shock | Fund a 2-1 buydown to keep the deal |
On a $600,000 sale with a $380,000 mortgage, a $10,000 credit turns $220,000 of gross equity into $210,000 before commissions and title, the same as a $10,000 price cut. The difference is what the buyer gets: $66 a month off for 30 years from the price cut, or $616 a month off in year one from the buydown. Buyers feel the second one. Get your own number on the home value page or with a Smart Pricing Report.
Put it in the first line of the listing: "Seller offering $10,000 toward buyer closing costs or rate buydown." It resets attention the way a price cut does, without changing the price buyers see on their alerts. Pair it with new photos and a fresh first paragraph. Read how Kenna markets a home.
Lenders cap what a seller can pay: 3% to 9% on conventional loans depending on the buyer's down payment, 6% on FHA, 4% plus closing costs on VA. Your listing agent should know the buyer's loan type before you agree to a number. Full table on the buyer version of this page.
One page: your net at list, at a 3% cut, and with a $10,000 credit, side by side, plus the listing wording and the buyer-loan caps. Fill in the form below and we email it today.
Get the guide by email Use the form at the bottom of this page. We send it the same day, and a live person follows up once.Call or text 303-955-4220. A live person shows you the net at list, after a cut, and with a credit, using this week's comps.
Call or text 303-955-4220Get your home valueNo, but 63% of Denver-area sellers did this year, because the buyer pool at 7% is thin and a credit changes the buyer's payment more than a price cut changes your net.
About 2.3% of the loan amount: roughly $11,200 on a $480,000 loan, paid at closing out of your proceeds. It is the same money as a $11,200 price cut, but it lowers the buyer's year-one payment $616 a month instead of $74.
Cut the price when the home is not getting showings; the price is what buyers see first. Offer a credit when showings are steady but offers stall; the credit fixes the payment problem that is stopping them.
Yes, by the amount of the concession. Sellers who priced right and offered a credit in 2026 netted about 98% of list. Sellers who held out and cut later netted about 93% of the original price.
Yes. "Seller offering $10,000 toward closing costs or rate buydown" in the first line of the listing resets buyer attention the same way a price cut does.
Fix what stops a loan: roof leaks, safety items, broken systems. Everything cosmetic is better handled as a credit; buyers pick their own finishes and you skip contractor delays.