How the Gap Between Asking Price and Accepted Price Is Widening in 2026 — and How Jack Costigan Controls Negotiation Leverage
The Metric Most People Aren’t Watching Closely Enough
In a market filled with noise—interest rates, inventory headlines, days on market—one metric quietly tells the real story of Nashville real estate in 2026:
The spread between asking price and accepted price.
Not whether homes are selling.
Not how many price reductions appear on Zillow.
But how far final contracts are drifting from initial expectations.
Across much of Nashville and Middle Tennessee, this gap is widening—not because buyers have disappeared, but because leverage has shifted. Homes are still trading hands, yet the negotiating process has become more deliberate, more analytical, and far less forgiving of weak strategy.
At The Costigan Group, we treat this gap as a diagnostic tool. It reveals where listings were positioned correctly, where momentum was created early, and where leverage quietly eroded long before the first offer arrived.
This article breaks down:
Why the gap is widening in 2026
Where sellers and agents are losing leverage unintentionally
And how Jack Costigan structures listings to control negotiation outcomes instead of reacting to them
The 2026 Market Context: Sales Are Still Happening — But Power Has Shifted
It’s important to be precise about what’s actually happening.
This is not a frozen market.
This is not a distressed market.
And this is not a return to 2008-style dynamics.
Instead, 2026 is a normalized, selective market.
Buyers are active—but disciplined.
Sellers have value—but must justify it.
And leverage is no longer assumed—it’s earned.
In this environment, asking price has lost its role as a psychological anchor. Buyers increasingly view list prices as negotiable hypotheses, not firm signals of value. When a home lacks early momentum, that hypothesis gets challenged—quickly.
Why the Asking-to-Accepted Price Gap Is Widening
1. Buyers Are Better Calibrated Than Ever
Today’s buyers are not guessing. They are tracking:
Closed sales, not actives
Price-per-square-foot trends by micro-area
How long similar homes took to sell
What concessions were likely involved
This has created a more analytical buyer pool. When a list price is even slightly misaligned with recent execution, buyers don’t wait for the market to correct it—they negotiate it down.
2. Overexposure Erodes Leverage Faster Than Price Reductions
One of the most common mistakes in 2026 is confusing visibility with leverage.
A home can have:
Great photos
Strong online traffic
Plenty of saves
…and still lose negotiation power if buyer engagement doesn’t convert quickly.
Once a listing becomes familiar without becoming competitive, buyers gain confidence. At that point, the accepted price almost always moves away from the asking price—not toward it.
3. Pricing Without a Launch Strategy Backfires
In prior cycles, strong markets forgave weak launches.
That forgiveness no longer exists.
A list price without:
A defined launch window
Buyer concentration strategy
Feedback loop in the first 7–10 days
becomes vulnerable. The market interprets silence as resistance, and resistance invites negotiation.
4. Emotional Anchoring Is Still Common—and Costly
Many sellers are still mentally anchored to peak-era numbers. While understandable, this creates friction when pricing decisions are made emotionally instead of strategically.
When the market senses emotional attachment rather than market discipline, buyers press harder. This almost always widens the final gap.
How Jack Costigan Controls Negotiation Leverage in 2026
At The Costigan Group, negotiation does not begin when an offer arrives.
It begins weeks earlier, through structure, sequencing, and information control.
1. Pricing for Leverage Zones, Not Just Market Value
We don’t price homes solely based on what they could be worth—we price them based on where buyer density and urgency intersect.
That means:
Analyzing accepted-to-list ratios by neighborhood
Identifying price bands where buyers stall vs act
Positioning homes where multiple buyers can engage simultaneously
The objective is not to chase attention—it’s to create optionality.
2. Designing the First 10 Days With Intent
The first 10 days determine nearly everything.
We treat this period as a campaign:
Pre-market preparation (staging, light improvements, pre-inspection where appropriate)
Coordinated exposure rather than drip marketing
Immediate feedback tracking and adjustment
If leverage is created early, the asking price becomes defensible. If it isn’t, the market renegotiates it for you.
3. Separating Interest From Influence
Traffic does not equal leverage.
Interest does not equal influence.
We focus on:
Who is returning
Who is asking questions
Who is hesitating and why
This information shapes how we frame counteroffers, concessions, and deadlines long before negotiations become explicit.
4. Framing Negotiations Around Market Reality, Not Emotion
When offers arrive, we control the frame.
Instead of reacting emotionally, we anchor discussions around:
Competing buyer behavior
Timing leverage
Terms vs price tradeoffs
This keeps the accepted price aligned with the original strategy—not dragged downward by momentum loss.
Where the Gap Is Widest Right Now
In 2026, the widest asking-to-accepted price gaps tend to appear in:
Overbuilt condo segments
Higher price points without differentiated presentation
Listings launched without a clear positioning narrative
Conversely, homes that are:
Properly prepared
Strategically priced
Actively managed
often outperform expectations—even in a slower market.
The Real Divide in 2026: Passive vs Strategic Listings
Most listings receive exposure.
Very few receive active management.
The widening gap between asking and accepted price is not inevitable. It is usually the result of:
Passive pricing decisions
Weak launch execution
Reactive negotiation
When homes are run like campaigns—with structure and intent—the gap narrows dramatically.
The Gap Tells the Truth
In 2026, the gap between asking price and accepted price tells the truth about a listing.
It reveals:
Whether leverage was created or surrendered
Whether strategy preceded negotiation
Whether execution matched expectations
At The Costigan Group, our focus is not just on selling homes—but on protecting value through disciplined strategy, controlled momentum, and informed negotiation, even in a shifting market.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is negotiation unavoidable in 2026?
Negotiation is common, but the size of the gap varies widely. Well-structured listings often see minimal variance between asking and accepted price.
Does pricing lower always reduce the gap?
No. Poorly executed underpricing can still lead to weak leverage. Strategy matters more than the number itself.
What matters more: price or launch?
Launch. A strong launch supports price. A weak launch undermines it.
Which segments see the biggest gaps?
Higher price points and over-supplied segments tend to see larger gaps, while well-positioned mid-market homes perform more consistently.
Can sellers still protect value in this market?
Yes—with the right pricing psychology, preparation, and negotiation framework.
Jack Costigan is a top-producing Realtor® and founder of The Costigan Group at Compass Nashville, specializing in short-term rental, investment, luxury, relocation, and residential real estate across Greater Nashville and Middle Tennessee. Known for his data-driven strategy, modern marketing approach, and high-touch client experience, Jack advises homeowners, professionals, and investors on identifying and executing high-performing real estate opportunities.
