November 2023 · Guide · 3 min read · by Kinan Sawar, MD — REALTOR® at Shorewest, REALTORS®
Even in a tight, frozen market, leverage isn’t evenly distributed. A few signals point to where buyers can still negotiate.
It’s tempting to call 2023 a uniformly brutal market for buyers. The map disagrees.
In metros that built heavily through the boom — much of Texas, Florida, and the Mountain West — inventory has rebuilt, days-on-market have lengthened, and price cuts have become common. Those are the places a patient buyer can negotiate.
Seasonality compounds it. The late-fall and winter market thins out the casual competition, leaving motivated sellers facing fewer buyers. Less urgency, more room to deal.
Look for the trio: rising inventory, longer days-on-market, and a high share of price cuts. Where all three line up, the “seller’s market” label no longer fits — regardless of the national headline.
Kinan Sawar, MD — REALTOR® at Shorewest, REALTORS®, serving Milwaukee and Southeast Wisconsin (Milwaukee, Waukesha, Ozaukee, Washington, Racine, Kenosha, and Walworth counties). Email: [email protected] · Phone: (618) 713-2964.
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Home values and rents are Zillow ZHVI/ZORI estimates for the named area, as of 2026-07-03; incomes and population are U.S. Census (SAIPE, Population Estimates); migration is IRS Statistics of Income. Area-level statistical estimates for information only — not an appraisal, and not financial, legal, or tax advice.