63% of Nashville Sales Include Seller Concessions. Plan for the Whole Deal.

Pricing correctly may get your home into the conversation. Budgeting for seller concessions may be part of getting the transaction closed.

In its September 18 report, Redfin found concessions in 63.1% of Nashville sales in its sample for the three months ending August 31, 2026, compared with 44.7% nationally. Nashville ranked among the ten highest-concession metros studied. These are extras beyond a lower purchase price. Read Redfin’s concessions report.

What can additional assistance include? Read my explainer on additional seller concessions, including HOA expenses, warranties, appliances, and flexible timing.

For sellers, that makes the conversation more specific than “the market is slow.” A buyer may agree that your home is worth considering and still need help with the cost of completing the purchase.

A majority of deals, but a lower share than last year

Nashville’s concession rate fell 4.1 percentage points year over year. So this is not evidence that sellers suddenly became more accommodating than they were last summer. It is evidence that seller assistance remains common among completed transactions.

The sample comes from Redfin buyers’ agents. It is not a census of every Nashville closing, and the report does not establish the typical dollar amount of assistance. A negotiated price reduction alone does not count as a concession in this measure.

That distinction matters. “Most sampled deals included assistance” is a useful planning signal. “Every seller must give 3%” is a conclusion the data does not support.

The buyer–seller imbalance helps explain the negotiation

A separate Redfin report published September 10 estimated 139% more sellers than buyers in Nashville in August. That was Nashville’s largest gap in records dating to 2013 and the strongest buyer’s market among the 49 major metros analyzed. Listings rose 4.1% month over month while estimated buyers declined 0.4%.

Put another way, the estimate works out to about 239 sellers for every 100 buyers. It does not mean that 139% of homes will go unsold, or that any particular listing needs a certain discount.

The buyer count is modeled, while sellers are represented by active listings. These seasonally adjusted estimates can be revised. They also measure a different period and population from the rolling three-month concessions sample; the two reports provide context, not a direct calculation of how much a seller should offer.

For an individual listing, I would start with the alternatives a buyer can choose today: similar resales, newly pending homes, and competing new construction. A broad metro statistic cannot tell us whether your particular neighborhood or price range is crowded.

A 2–3% request deserves a calculation

I would be increasingly reluctant to dismiss a request for 2–3% toward closing costs or a rate buydown, alongside a negotiated price, as automatically unreasonable. It may be a workable offer, an excessive request for that property, or a starting point for a counteroffer. The concession percentage alone does not answer that question.

Here is a simplified illustration using a $500,000 asking price:

Offer structure	After buyer credit*
$490,000 price with a 2% credit ($9,800)	$480,200
$485,000 price with no buyer credit	$485,000

*Illustration only. Figures subtract the stated credit from the contract price, before loan payoff, brokerage compensation, taxes, title charges, repairs, and other selling expenses. The credit percentage is based on the negotiated price. Loan and appraisal requirements still apply.

The lower-priced offer leaves $4,800 more before those other expenses. But the stronger choice also depends on financing, contingencies, closing timing, and whether either buyer can complete the purchase. Ask for a net sheet for each serious offer instead of judging by the headline price.

Budget before the offer arrives

Build a concession allowance into your planning before you list. That does not require advertising a fixed amount or agreeing to every request. It gives you a way to respond deliberately when an offer comes in.

Start with three versions of the net sheet: your target outcome, a realistic negotiated outcome, and your minimum acceptable outcome. Include potential buyer assistance and likely inspection issues. Then compare those results with the cost and uncertainty of continuing to own the home.

Next, identify what the buyer actually needs. Cash-to-close assistance and a financing incentive solve different problems. A lender should confirm how much of a proposed credit can be used and for what purpose before the parties settle on the structure.

Finally, keep price and presentation honest. An incentive will not necessarily make an overpriced house competitive. If buyers can choose a better-fitting home at a lower overall cost, a credit by itself may not change their decision.

Look beyond the familiar credits

Negotiation can also involve HOA expenses, a home warranty, appliances that would not otherwise convey, specific improvements, or a closing date that makes a move easier. These options are worth discussing when they solve a real obstacle for that buyer.

Nonfinancial flexibility should not be treated as automatically included in the 63.1% figure. The published methodology focuses on seller help that reduces purchasing costs, and the report does not break Nashville’s total into types of concessions.

For more on comparing the standard financial options, see my earlier buyer guide to price cuts, credits, and buydowns. Its market figures are dated; the September report above supplies the newer concession reading.

Make the offer work for your move

My takeaway is straightforward: prepare for a negotiation about the whole transaction. A well-chosen concession can be a practical expense of selling, but it should buy something useful—an acceptable net, a qualified buyer, or terms that fit your next move.

If you are preparing to sell or weighing an offer, let’s compare your nearby competition and work through the numbers for your home.