You’re scrolling through homes on your phone, everything looks great, and then you see the price or estimated monthly payment. Suddenly, you’re ready to close the app.

Because even if you love the house, the numbers can feel out of reach. But here’s the thing.

Across the country, there are more homes for sale than there are buyers looking. And when sellers need buyers more than buyers need sellers, you have more room to negotiate on price.

Lower asking prices, more price cuts, and homes priced around what buyers can actually afford instead of what sellers hope to get.

And that could make buying a home more affordable than you might think.

4 Out of 10 Sellers Are Cutting Their Price

One of the clearest signs sellers are adjusting is price cuts. HousingWire data shows more than 40% of sellers are lowering their asking price.

That’s just a little below what we saw last year, as you can see in the graph below:

That’s more than 4 out of every 10 homes on the market. And that tells you something. Thousands of sellers are choosing to lower their asking price instead of waiting around for a buyer willing to stretch their budget.

They know that selling means being willing to meet buyers halfway. And when buyers aren’t biting, sellers are turning to their biggest tool to get attention back on their homes: the price. As Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at Realtor.com, explains:

““This is a market where people are adjusting and showing up rather than giving up. Sellers are meeting the market with more realistic asking prices, which is helping deals get done.”
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— Danielle Hale, Chief Economist at Realtor.com

This July Saw the Lowest Median List Price for Any July in Five Years

What about the other 6 out of 10 sellers? Many of them are pricing their homes more realistically from the start instead of aiming high and hearing nothing from buyers.

That may help explain why July 2026 had the lowest median list price for any July in the past five years, according to Realtor.com. Just look at the white line in the graph below:

Now, that doesn’t mean home values are falling or that everything is suddenly a bargain. Prices are still higher than they were before the pandemic. But here’s what it does mean.

Sellers aren’t counting on bidding wars or expecting buyers to pay whatever they ask anymore. Instead, many are pricing their homes more realistically to match today’s market from the start.

And honestly, whether sellers price competitively from the start or adjust after a few weeks on the market, the takeaway for you is the same:

Sellers are more willing to work with your budget.

Because in many markets across the country, you’re not competing with other buyers anymore. Sellers are competing for your attention. And that can give you more leverage to negotiate a better deal.

Yes, affordability can still be a challenge, and your monthly payment matters. But if you’ve been assuming every home is out of your budget, you may actually have more room to work with than you think.