How To Actually Ask For Seller Concessions In The 2026 Resale Market

Almost half of American home sellers are now handing buyers money at closing — and most buyers still don't know they're

allowed to ask. This week Debbie breaks down the resale market's worst-kept secret: seller concessions hit a record 46% of home sales this spring, there are one and a half sellers for every buyer, and the list price has officially become the opening bid.

Debbie walks through exactly what you can ask a seller to pay for — closing costs, repairs, prepaid insurance and taxes, HOA dues — and the one almost nobody uses: the seller-paid rate buydown. She runs the real numbers on a median-priced home and shows why the same $9,000 gets you $53 a month as a price cut but up to $496 a month as a buydown. Plus the concession caps for conventional, FHA, and VA loans, where buyer leverage is strongest from Arizona to Florida, and why record seller equity means a smart credit beats a price war for both sides.

Have a question about your loan or a listing you're watching? Text MOM to 844-935-3634 and Debbie will answer it personally.

Debbie Marcoux is licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act, NMLS #237926, licensed in AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, NV, NC, OR, TN, TX, WA. Not all applicants will qualify. Equal Housing Lender.

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#mortgage #homebuying #sellerconcessions #buyersmarket #realestate #firsttimehomebuyer #mortgagemom #ratebuydown

I've had more clients ask me this exact question in the past two weeks than almost any other topic all year, so today I sat down with the actual data — not the headline, the underlying numbers — and walked through what's really happening versus what happened during the Great Recession.

Here's the short version: the headline is technically true and the fear is completely understandable, but the full picture tells a very different story. We're still running about 87% below the 2010 foreclosure peak. Home equity nationally just hit a record 18 trillion dollars. Less than 4% of homes are seriously underwater today compared to roughly a quarter of all homeowners back in 2008. And foreclosures are actually processing faster than they were even in the calm pre-pandemic year of 2019, which is usually a sign of a healthy, orderly market rather than a crisis brewing underneath the surface.

But I'm not going to stand here and tell you everything is perfect everywhere, because it isn't. Texas and Florida are carrying almost 40% of the nation's underwater homeowners between them right now, and if you bought in Austin, San Antonio, or coastal Florida in 2022 or 2023 with a low down payment, especially on an FHA or VA loan, you are the group actually feeling some real pressure. So today's episode is both things at once: the reassurance that this is not 2008, and the honest heads-up about exactly who should be paying closer attention right now.

If you're worried about where you stand, or you just want someone to walk through your specific numbers instead of guessing from a headline, text MOM to 844-935-3634 and let's talk it through together.

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Debbie Marcoux — NMLS #237926 Licensed in AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, NV, NC, OR, TN, TX, WA Equal Housing Lender · This is educational content, not a rate quote. #mortgagemomradio #foreclosure #housingmarket #realestate #firsttimehomebuyer #texasrealestate #floridarealestate #mortgage

21% of homes going under contract in 2026 aren't closing.

It's not the appraisal. It's not the loan. It's not the inspection.

It's the insurance.

I've been in the mortgage business for over 30 years and I have NEVER seen a market where more clean, qualified, pre-approved buyers are losing their deals at the closing table over something they never even thought about until week three of escrow. So today on the show I'm breaking down exactly what's happening, why it's happening RIGHT NOW, and — if you're a buyer, an agent, or a seller — the 5-day plan I want you running the second you go under contract.

Stuff we cover in this episode:

The brand new Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago paper that just put a number on this — $1,000 of extra premium = 2.3 percentage points more likely to be denied

The California FAIR Plan 29.1% rate hike that goes live October 15 (and what to do if you're mid-escrow right now)

Why Florida premiums went UP 14.3% after tort reform was supposed to make them go down

The four failure points where insurance kills a deal (and how to spot each one early)

Roof age, wind mitigation, and the one $150 inspection that can save a Florida closing

Insurance quote vs. insurance binder — the new underwriter rule nobody warned you about

My personal 5-day rule for every buyer who goes under contract from here on out

If you or someone you know is buying a home in California, Florida, Arizona, Texas, or ANY of the 14 states I lend in, this is the episode to send them. This is the one that saves the deal.

Text MOM to 844-935-3634 and I'll walk you through it personally — before the deal breaks, not after.

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Debbie Marcoux — NMLS #237926 Licensed in AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, NV, NC, OR, TN, TX, WA Equal Housing Lender · This is educational content, not a rate quote.

#mortgagemomradio #homeinsurance #realestate #firsttimehomebuyer #californiafairplan #floridarealestate #mortgage

The Fed just made its decision — no rate cut. In fact, three Fed officials voted to RAISE rates, and Wall Street now expects a hike as soon as September. So what does that actually mean for your mortgage?

On today's show, Debbie Marcoux — The Mortgage Mom — breaks down the Fed's 9–3 vote, new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, and the one thing most people get wrong: the Fed doesn't set your mortgage rate. You'll learn why mortgage rates climbed to near one-year highs even while the Fed sat still, what a September hike would mean for buyers and homeowners, and why waiting for lower rates has been costing people money all year.

Whether you're buying your first home, thinking about refinancing, or just trying to make sense of the headlines, this episode gives you the plan.

Website: https://www.mortgagemomradio.com

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Debbie Marcoux, Mortgage Loan Officer · NMLS ID #237926

2150 Kiowa Blvd N, Suite A-108, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403

JMJ Financial · NMLS ID #41DBO-46011 · California DBO

Corporate Office: 26800 Aliso Viejo Pkwy, Suite 200, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

Loans are subject to credit approval. Terms and conditions apply. This is not a commitment to lend. Licensed in 13 states: Arizona LO-0941504, California CA-DBO237926, Florida LO76508, Georgia 69178, Hawaii HI-237926, Idaho MLO-2080237926, Illinois 031.0058339, Nevada 57237, North Carolina I-210940, Oregon 237926, Tennessee 184373, Texas 237926, Washington MLO-237926. Verify any license at nmlsconsumeraccess.org.

Mortgage rates just hit their highest levels of 2026 — the 30-year fixed reached 6.75% on Mortgage News Daily's tracker this week, with Freddie Mac's survey at 6.55%.

On today's show, Debbie breaks down what pushed rates up: rising fuel prices, new Treasury supply concerns, and bond selling during earnings season — plus what the July 28-29 Fed meeting could mean for the weeks ahead.

Then, the part that matters most: affordability has slipped five straight months, but 33% of June home purchases were still first-time buyers. Debbie shares her "Lock-In" game plan for getting mortgage-ready — credit score prep, understanding your debt-to-income ratio, and building a true purchase budget beyond just the down payment.

If you or someone you love is trying to buy their first home, call MOM at 844-935-3634. We'll pull your credit, review your DTI, and show you what you actually qualify for and what programs are available in your state. There is a path — and you don't have to walk it alone.

Mortgage Mom Radio is live every Wednesday at 3PM PT.

www.mortgagemomradio.com [email protected] (844) 935-3634

Debbie Marcoux, Mortgage Loan Officer · NMLS ID #237926

2150 Kiowa Blvd N, Suite A-108, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403

JMJ Financial · NMLS ID #41DBO-46011 · California DBO

Corporate Office: 26800 Aliso Viejo Pkwy, Suite 200, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656

Loans are subject to credit approval. Terms and conditions apply. This is not a commitment to lend. Licensed in 13 states: Arizona LO-0941504, California CA-DBO237926, Florida LO76508, Georgia 69178, Hawaii HI-237926, Idaho MLO-2080237926, Illinois 031.0058339, Nevada 57237, North Carolina I-210940, Oregon 237926, Tennessee 184373, Texas 237926, Washington MLO-237926. Verify any license at nmlsconsumeraccess.org.

The biggest condo lending rule change in over a decade drops August 3rd. If you're buying, selling, or refinancing a condo, this affects you.

On March 18, 2026, Fannie Mae dropped Lender Letter LL-2026-03 — the biggest overhaul to condo lending rules in a decade. Freddie Mac followed with a parallel bulletin. Some pieces are effective immediately, some kick in July 1, some August 3, some not until January 4, 2027.

If you are a realtor or HOA manager, this is important education for you to have.

Debbie Marcoux, NMLS ID 237926 also licensed in AZ-0941504, CA-DBO237926, FL-LO76508, GA-69178, HI, IL-031.0058339, MO, NC, NV-57237, OR, TN-184373, TX, WA-MLO-237926

For over a year the whole audience has heard "when will the Fed

cut" — and this week two of the most senior voices on the FOMC used blunt, on-the-record language to say the opposite is

now realistic. It directly reframes the "should I lock or wait"

Debbie Marcoux, NMLS ID 237926 also licensed in AZ-0941504, CA-DBO237926, FL-LO76508, GA-69178, HI, IL-031.0058339, MO, NC, NV-57237, OR, TN-184373, TX, WA-MLO-237926

There's a big housing bill in the news right now — the biggest one in 36 years — and I've

been getting a lot of questions about what it actually means. Let me walk you through what's in it, where it stands, and how it affects you if you're buying, selling, or refinancing this year.

Debbie Marcoux, NMLS ID 237926 also licensed in AZ-0941504, CA-DBO237926, FL-LO76508, GA-69178, HI, IL-031.0058339, MO, NC, NV-57237, OR, TN-184373, TX, WA-MLO-237926

Today I discussed new programs such as Jumbo with only 10% down, construction and fix and flip loans for investors.

Would you like to ask questions while I'm live on air? Subscribe now to receive a link to join each week. Text LIVE to 844-935-3634

Debbie Marcoux is licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, NMLS ID 237926. Also licensed in, AZ-0941504, Fl-LO76508, GA-69178, HI-237926, ID-MLO-2080237926, IL-031.0058339, NV-57237, NC-I-210940, OR, TN-184373, TX, WA-MLO-237926.

Want to buy an investment property or sell yours and move it out of CA? Let's talk 1031 exchange and cash flow. 

Would you like to ask questions while I'm live on air? Subscribe now to receive a link to join each week. Text LIVE to 844-935-3634.

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Debbie Marcoux is licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, NMLS ID 237926. Also licensed in, AZ-0941504, Fl-LO76508, GA-69178, HI-237926, ID-MLO-2080237926, IL-031.0058339, NV-57237, NC-I-210940, OR, TN-184373, TX, WA-MLO-237926.