You may be wondering what is sellers assist. Seller’s assist or Seller’s concession is a real estate phrase used when a potential buyer is requesting money from the seller’s proceeds. This money can be used for various purposes. Such as repairs, closing costs, and down payment assistance. Seller assist could be a huge benefit to both buyers and sellers.
What costs can sellers assist cover?
There are plenty of different things you can use with Sellers Assist. But the only thing is that you can not ask for too much seller’s assistance. You can only do up to 6% of the sales price on a first-time home buyer loan, as well as a conventional loan. The lender wants to make sure you are not getting all your money to close from the sellers. The sellers assist covers things such as repairs, down payment, and closing costs associated with buying a home.
How does it work for the seller concessions?
What is sellers assist when it comes to repairs? Typically, this is asked at the initial offer stage or after the home inspection is completed. Therefore, if the home you are looking to purchase needs a lot or even a small amount of repairs. You can request a certain amount from the seller to help cover the cost of hiring a contractor to make repairs in the home. Sometimes the seller may not want to make repairs themselves and would rather issue credit to the new buyer.
You may also use sellers assist for down payment assistance. Sometimes a buyer might need help with their down payment amount. They might even be just shy of 20% down payment. You can request from the seller money to help with your down payment cost from the lender. Maybe you have the down payment but want to have extra money in your pocket after closing to help with future payments.
Closing costs can be expensive. In 2025, Philadelphia updated the amount of transfer tax. The new rate to sell a home is 4.578%. As a buyer, you are responsible for half that amount. You will also have closing costs due from the title company. Along with title insurance and underwriting fees. You can request that sellers assist in paying for these expenses.
Pros and cons of what is sellers assist for buyers and sellers
There are some serious pros and cons of asking a seller for a concession. You need to talk with your agent before asking for money from the seller. There are always some pros and cons to everything.
- The pros for a buyer consist of less money needed to close on a home. Having the money to be able to make repairs.
- The pros for a seller are that if the home has a hard time selling, it can be appealing to offer to buyers. It will also prevent the seller from having to make repairs.
- Cons for a buyer can be larger monthly payments because you may have to offer more than asking, so the seller walks away with their desired amount. Your offer might seem less appealing than someone not asking for sellers assist.
- Cons for sellers when asking for sellers assist you could walk away with less than your asking price. Paying more closing costs and taxes because the sales price is higher than what you actually net.
When do you usually see seller assist in the market?
There are a few market trends you will see sellers assist being offered or more often getting accepted. It is more common in buyers markets. When homes are sitting on the market longer. As well as the average days in market are over 60 to 90 days.
So far in 2025, with interest rates staying above 6% the values of homes are high. Fewer buyers have moved into the market of buying. Causing a lot more homes to sit on the market. Buying in today’s market, you might see it more likely to get approved for sellers concession. But if we see a drop in values and interest rates. This may cause things to shift back into a direction where sellers assist might not win a deal.
Real-world examples of what is sellers assist
Example 1: If you have a property listed at 300k. You have a buyer who offers the asking price of $300,00 but asks for $10,000 in seller concessions with their initial offer. The seller walks with $290,000. Then, at closing, the buyer will get credited $10,000.
Example 2: The property is listed at $300,000, but has not been on the market long and can be in a competitive area. The buyer offers $310,000 with a $10,000 seller’s concession in the initial offer. This way, the seller walks away with their original asking and the buyer gets $10,000 in sellers assist.
Example 3: Property goes under contract at $300,000, yet the buyer never asked for seller concessions in the initial offer. Your agent can write up an addendum and ask for the seller’s concession of $10,000 even after the initial offer has been accepted.
What are the alternatives to What is Sellers Assist?
There are a few different options for buyers to get similar assistance without asking the seller for any cash at closing.
- Lender credits: You can actually request a lower upfront cost when buying a home. Allowing you to come to the closing with less money to the lender without asking the seller for money. If you do this, you must be ready to pay higher monthly payments on your loan. Also, more interest is paid over the term of your loan.
- Loans from friends or family: A lender will always allow a lender to accept loans from a friend or family member. It is less risky to ask someone you know for money than it is to ask a seller whom you do not know.
- Negotiate the price: Instead of asking for sellers assist, you can just offer a lower price. Though it might not work if the property has only been on the market for a short period of time. You can always offer a lower price than the asking to help fit your budget or lower your upfront cost.
- Down payment assistance: In many states, you can speak with your lender about down payment assistance programs. In Pennsylvania, you can ask for the Keystone home loan program, which offers up to 4% of the property purchase price. The Philly first home program, where first-time home buyers in Philadelphia can receive $10,000 or 6% of the home’s value.
Saving money with what is sellers assist
By now, you should know what is sellers assist. Asking a seller you do not know for part of their proceeds to help with your closing costs may seem impossible. When you are in a buyer’s market, sometimes the buyers hold all the cards and have no problem winning the offer. Using an experienced agent and lender will help win the deal every time. There will always be pros and cons to everything in real estate. The better understanding you have of how sellers assist works. The better your chances will be when getting the seller to accept your offer.