{"id":41534,"date":"2026-03-12T02:00:17","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T09:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=41534"},"modified":"2026-03-13T21:46:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T04:46:18","slug":"buyer-sellers-assist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-sellers-assist\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is a Seller Assist When Buying a House?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Low inventory, elevated home prices, and high interest rates are making it harder to unlock the door to homeownership. Hopeful buyers often discover that the key to this door is getting past the upfront costs required to buy a house. For many, the solution lies in a \u201cseller assist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But what exactly is a seller assist when buying a house, and how can it help clear the path on your homebuying journey?<\/p>\n<p>In this post, we\u2019ll provide clear insights and examples to help you decide if requesting a seller assist is the right strategy for your home purchase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"geo-cta widget-cta widget-cta--content     widget-cta--dark widget-cta--dark-blue-gradient\">\n    <div class=\"widget-element--content\">\n        <div class=\"widget-element--content-header\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"homelight logo\" class=\"widget-element--logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/logo-small-cta.png\" width=\"106\" height=\"25\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        \n                <h3 class=\"cta-headline widget--bold\">A Top Agent Can Find the Right Deal For You<\/h3>\n                        <p>HomeLight can connect you with a top-performing, trusted agent who has the experience to find you the right house at the right price. We analyze over 27 million transactions and thousands of reviews to determine which agent is best for you based on your needs.<\/p>\n        \n                <div class=\"widget-element--buttons\">\n            <a data-type=\"In Content CTA\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/find-agent\/quiz\/buyer?#\/qaas=0\/\" class=\"cta-click-track widget-element--button\">Get Started<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<div id=\"section--1\" data-toc-header=\"What is a seller assist?\" data-toc-type=\"head\"><\/div>\n<h2>What is a seller assist in real estate?<\/h2>\n<p>A seller assist, also known as seller concessions or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/what-is-a-seller-credit\/\">seller credit<\/a>, is an arrangement where the seller of a property agrees to cover part of the buyer&#8217;s closing costs. This can significantly reduce the amount of upfront cash a buyer needs to bring to the closing table, making it easier to afford a home purchase.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-closing-costs-for-buyer\/\">Closing costs<\/a> can include a variety of expenses, such as loan origination fees, title insurance, and appraisal fees. By assisting with these costs, the seller helps to lighten the financial burden on the buyer, potentially making their property more attractive or enabling a faster sale.<\/p>\n<p>In a recent HomeLight report, 58% of top agents surveyed said closing cost credits were the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/real-estate-top-agent-insights-for-q3-2025\/\">most common concession buyers asked for<\/a> to help seal the deal.<\/p>\n<div id=\"section--2\" data-toc-header=\"How does a seller assist work?\" data-toc-type=\"head\"><\/div>\n<h2>How does a seller assist work?<\/h2>\n<p>In a seller assist or seller concession, the amount the seller agrees to contribute is typically a percentage of the home&#8217;s purchase price and must be agreed upon during the negotiation phase of the home buying process. This contribution is then applied to the buyer&#8217;s closing costs, directly lowering the amount of money the buyer needs to pay out of pocket.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The upfront costs of buying your first house can add up. A seller assist can help you purchase your dream home. See what closing costs a seller might pay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":298,"featured_media":41537,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[192,638,623],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-buyers","category-house-hunting","category-afford-home"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.0 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What Is a Seller Assist When Buying a House?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The upfront costs of buying your first house can add up. A seller assist can help you purchase a home. 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See closing costs a seller might pay.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-sellers-assist\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HomeLight Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-03-12T09:00:17+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-14T04:46:18+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/HomeLight-Header-Image-1000-\u00d7-563-px-14-min.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Richard Haddad\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Richard Haddad\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What Is a Seller Assist When Buying a House?","description":"The upfront costs of buying your first house can add up. 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