Home buyers in much of the U.S. are still paying thousands of dollars below the home’s asking price, but had slightly less negotiating power in August 2009 than they did in July.
Buyers paid a median $6,525, or 3% less than the last listing price on homes bought in August, down from $7,018, or 3.3%, less for homes bought in July.
Negotiating power peaked in January 2009, when buyers were paying 4.5% less than last listing price, a median of $10,096. Meanwhile, sellers continue to cut prices on unsold homes. One quarter (24.7%) of all homes listed for sale had at least one listing price reduction as of Oct. 1, 2009. The median U.S. price reduction was 6.6% off the original listing price.
