Home Buyers Getting Pushy

Home Buyers Getting Pushy

Not so long ago, home sellers used aggressive tactics to squeeze every last bit of profit from their home sales. Now that home sales are weakening, buyers have taken a page from the sellers' playbook, demanding everything from new appliances to no closing costs to upfront cash to get the deal done.

In some cases, what they are doing is down and dirty — sellers have been asked to pay off buyer's credit-card debt, cover costs of the buyer's current home or even pay for the buyer's commuting costs from the new home.

This kind of gamesmanship allows buyers to get the most for their money. It also reveals that the housing market's ugly side may be here to stay.