We all know people buying and selling homes, and both sides sound as if they have leverage—unwilling to budge or compromise.

Buyers aren’t willing to pay asking price or purchase without concessions for repairs, while sellers are listing their homes as if it were 2021 all over again!

The market has been soft the past two years, yes… but sellers have still seen local appreciation at a steady clip despite higher interest rates. We can thank low inventory and strong demand for our local market here in the Triangle area—and the truth is, we don’t see that changing much in the near future.

But for the first time in nearly a decade, buyers have been able to successfully push back against seller demands. As inventory has risen and days on market have increased, some sellers have grown desperate to move and therefore more willing to negotiate.

This has all contributed to what we’re currently seeing as a Buyer/Seller Standoff—and it’s been fascinating to watch!

What will happen next? That’s hard to predict, but our take is that as interest rates adjust downward and more buyers return to the market, sellers will soon have the upper hand again. Buyers may want to target this immediate fall market to avoid the crowds heading into 2026.

If you’re looking for more local real estate content and helpful info as a buyer, seller, or Realtor, check back each week for another episode of Your Two Favorite Realtors on the Internet! Subscribe, give us a thumbs up to support what we do, and let us know how we can serve you directly.