Why would a homeowner agree to sell for $100,000 less than her original asking price? Liz Suder listed her four-bedroom, 3.5-bath house in Murphy, Texas, for $750,000 in April 2025. After repeated price cuts and more than a year on and off the market, a buyer agreed to pay $650,000, and she kicked in another $9,000 toward repairs, according to the Associated Press, reporting on October 25, 2026.
What Turned Sellers’ Leverage Into Buyers’ Leverage
The AP reports the market has shifted from one where sellers often received above their asking price to one where sellers easily outnumber buyers. Mark Fleming, chief economist at First American Financial, told the AP that ‘the dynamic has shifted back toward more of what we call buyers’ markets.’ He said that means sellers may need to cut prices, offer concessions or accept a longer time on market. The AP attributes the stall to three factors: surging mortgage rates, the compounding effect of years of rising home prices, and an economic outlook dimmed by high inflation. For households, higher mortgage rates raise a buyer’s monthly payment on the same loan, which the AP says is putting homeownership out of reach for many. The report gives no specific mortgage rate or inflation figure.
Following One Sale From List Price to Closing
Suder put her home on the market in April 2025 at $750,000. Six months later, despite several price reductions, it still had not sold, and she took it off the market. She relisted it in February at $725,000 ahead of the spring buying season. Only recently did a buyer agree to $650,000, and Suder paid $9,000 toward repairs to close the deal. A second case in the same report involves Rick Ganga. He listed his three-bedroom, 2.5-bath home in Blaine, Washington, on June 1 at $825,000. After multiple showings and no offers, he lowered the price to just under $800,000, without an offer as of the report.
Our Math: What the Price Cuts Actually Cost One Seller
Using Suder’s reported figures as an illustration: her original list price of $750,000 minus the final sale price of $650,000 is $100,000. That $100,000 divided by $750,000 is a 13.3 percent reduction. Subtracting the $9,000 she paid toward repairs brings her effective sale price to $641,000, before fees and any mortgage payoff, which the source does not report. That is a total shortfall of $109,000, and $109,000 divided by $750,000 equals 14.5 percent of her list price. This is one reported case, not a national average, and the AP report gives no nationwide price-cut figure to compare it against.
One Check for This Week, and What to Watch
If you are selling, the AP reports that sellers face a choice between deeper price cuts and concessions or holding out longer. Before deciding, ask your real estate agent how recent sale prices of comparable homes nearby compare with their list prices. What to watch, per the AP: whether buyers who are delaying purchases return in the spring, when some hope for more favorable conditions. Source: Associated Press, reported by Alex Veiga, October 25, 2026, as published by ABC News. Disclaimer: This analysis is for educational and informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial or investment advice.
