Nearly half of home sellers are now offering incentives to unload their properties—even $20,000 in concessions and all-expenses-paid cruises

Two women, with a man standing next to them, shake hand in front of a house. (Credit: Getty images)

One real estate agent in Atlanta had a client who was offered a free week-long vacation in an Airbnb owned by the home seller as part of a home-buying deal. Another agent in Charlotte, North Carolina had a client who was offered an all-expenses-paid cruise by a home seller.

As the buyer’s market continues, home sellers have had to get creative in incentivizing their sales, and it’s led to some of the highest rates of concessions in years, new Redfin data shows. A recent report from the brokerage and property search platform—which employs the two agents offering the unique concessions—found home sellers gave concessions in 44.7% of home sales in the U.S. in August, a 2.1 percentage-point year-over-year increase, and the highest share in August since at least 2020.