When a buyer asks the seller to help with closing costs or to pay for a rate buydown, the money is a seller concession, and the MLS has a field for its amount on every closed sale. That makes it one of the few parts of a negotiation that can be counted. We counted it for the 20 areas our market reports cover, over twelve months of closed sales.
The numbers
| Area | Sales with a concession | Median concession | Closed sales | Cash buyers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vail | 77% | $8,651 | 1,026 | 10% |
| Rincon Valley | 76% | $8,651 | 653 | 11% |
| Corona de Tucson | 75% | $8,000 | 246 | 11% |
| Rita Ranch | 70% | $8,275 | 66 | 16% |
| Marana | 67% | $8,000 | 1,507 | 16% |
| Sahuarita | 67% | $8,790 | 857 | 20% |
| Civano | 65% | $6,000 | 37 | 20% |
| Tucson Mountains | 58% | $8,000 | 745 | 25% |
| Midtown Tucson | 52% | $7,489 | 583 | 30% |
| Downtown Tucson | 51% | $7,225 | 51 | 50% |
| Dove Mountain | 50% | $9,800 | 255 | 26% |
| Sabino Canyon | 48% | $8,800 | 65 | 38% |
| Oro Valley | 41% | $6,700 | 1,010 | 38% |
| Tanque Verde | 39% | $8,000 | 269 | 41% |
| Sam Hughes | 38% | $5,825 | 84 | 35% |
| Catalina Foothills | 35% | $6,596 | 1,052 | 34% |
| Green Valley | 32% | $4,363 | 1,167 | 49% |
| Ventana Canyon | 26% | $2,500 | 91 | 50% |
| SaddleBrooke | 25% | $4,000 | 509 | 59% |
| Stone Canyon | 24% | $8,796 | 29 | 86% |
Closed sales from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026, highest share first. The MLS records the amount, not what it paid for, so a concession here can be closing costs, a buydown or both. Sabino Canyon, Rita Ranch, Downtown Tucson, Civano and Stone Canyon had fewer than 70 sales each, so read their figures as rough.
Half or more of sales in 11 areas
In 11 of the 20 areas, half or more of the homes that sold came with a concession. Vail, Rincon Valley and Corona de Tucson topped the list at three sales in four, followed by Rita Ranch, Marana and Sahuarita at about two in three. At the other end, about one sale in four had a concession in Stone Canyon, SaddleBrooke and Ventana Canyon.
Where buyers pay cash, sellers give less
The pattern follows how buyers pay. In the five areas where fewer than one buyer in five paid cash — Vail, Rincon Valley, Corona de Tucson, Rita Ranch and Marana — concessions were recorded on 67% to 77% of sales. In the four where half or more paid cash — Downtown Tucson, Ventana Canyon, SaddleBrooke and Stone Canyon — the share was 24% to 51%.
That fits how concessions are used. A buyer with a loan has closing costs and a payment to think about, and every loan program lets the seller cover part of them, up to a limit. A cash buyer has no loan to buy down, and a cash offer usually competes on speed rather than on help with costs.
How big they are
Where a concession was given, the median was between $5,800 and $9,800 in 17 of the 20 areas, and highest in Dove Mountain at $9,800. Green Valley ($4,363), SaddleBrooke ($4,000) and Ventana Canyon ($2,500) were lower.
Against the price of the homes, the median concession was about 2.1% to 2.6% of the area's median sold price in Vail, Rincon Valley, Corona de Tucson, Rita Ranch, Sahuarita, Tucson Mountains and Midtown Tucson, and 1% or less in the Catalina Foothills, Ventana Canyon, SaddleBrooke and Stone Canyon. That divides one median by another, so treat it as a rough guide rather than a typical sale.
If you are buying
In the areas at the top of the table, asking for a concession is normal, and a seller there should not be surprised by it. Decide what you would do with it: closing costs, a temporary buydown or points each help in a different way, and each counts toward your loan program's limit. Our rate buydown guide has a calculator for the cost of a buydown and the limits for each loan, and 2-1 Buydown or Price Cut? compares it with asking for a lower price.
If you are selling
In much of the southeast and in Marana, plan on being asked, and read a concession together with the price: an $8,000 concession on a full-price offer and a price $8,000 lower take about the same from your net. Where cash buyers are common, you will be asked less often. Our market reports have the rest of each area's numbers, from the median price to the days a home takes to sell.
