Getting Homes for Less than List Price

If you’ve been watching Greenville real estate and wondering whether buyers are still snagging discounts, this episode of Selling Greenville delivered a rare gift: hard numbers. Pulling six months of Greenville MLS data (through June 19) and slicing it by how far final prices landed below the original list, the host mapped out exactly what sells under ask, by how much, and how long it typically takes. The findings are equal parts reassuring and eye-opening—especially if you’ve been tempted to “just throw in a lowball” and hope for the best.

Homes for Less Than List Price in Greenville

Homes for less than list price in Greenville—because that’s the bullseye of the analysis. The episode sorts every closed sale over the prior six months into discount bands (vs. original list): >30%, 20–30%, 10–20%, 5–10%, and 2–5%. For each band, it tracks acreage, price reductions, final sold price, seller concessions, days on market, cash vs. financed, and how often new construction shows up.

Here’s what the data says—straight from the spreadsheet.

The unicorns: >30% under original list

• Profile: Mostly rural, often fixer-uppers

  • Median lot size: ~0.565 acres

  • Median original list: $249,900

  • Median sold price: $160,000

  • Effective discount: A little over 35% off the original (sold price ≈ 65% of ask)

  • $/sf: ~$100.63 (fixer-upper territory)

  • Time to deal: ~92 days on market before going under contract

  • Cash vs. financing: ~70% cash (highest of all groups)

    
    

Takeaway: If you want more than 30% off, you’re typically shopping with rural fixers, waiting around three months, and you probably need cash. The sample was tiny over six months—true unicorns.

Deep discounts: 20–30% below the original list price

• Profile: Still leans rural/suburban; many need work, but not all

  • Median lot size: ~0.38 acres

  • Median original list → final list → sold: $299,900 → $260,000 → $235,000

  • Effective discount: ~23% off the original list

  • $/sf: ~$136

  • Time to deal: ~101 days

  • Cash vs. financing: ~34% cash / 66% financed

  • New construction: ~19.7% of this bucket (largely driven by builder incentives/closing costs)

    
    

Takeaway: You still tend to wait three+ months, and you’ll often see multiple price drops before a seller meets the market. Builders’ incentives boosted concession-adjusted discounts here.

The realistic sweet spot: 10–20% below the original list

• Profile: Starts to look “typical Greenville.”

  • Median original list → final list → sold: $318,990 → $289,900 → $279,900

  • Effective discount: About 13–13.5% off the original list price

  • $/sf: ~$150

  • Time to deal: ~91 days

  • Cash vs. financing: ~20% cash / 80% financed

  • New construction: ~25% of sales (builders offered meaningful concessions)

  • Sample size: 1,043 sales (over six months)

    
    

Takeaway: If you’re aiming for double-digit savings, plan on ~3 months on market plus at least a couple of price reductions. Builder concessions matter; seller-paid closing costs are why this band swelled.

Bread-and-butter wins: 5–10% below original list

• Profile: Solid homes, decent condition, good areas

  • Median original list → final list → sold: $320,000 → $305,000 → $299,900

  • Effective discount: ~7% off the original list

  • Time to deal: ~52 days

  • Cash vs. financing: ~21% cash / 79% financed

  • New construction: ~21%

  • Sample size: 1,490 sales

    
    

Takeaway: For a 5–10% discount, think six to eight weeks on market and one solid price cut before a seller entertains it. This is where many well-kept resales (and incentive-sweetened new builds) live.

The most common outcome: 2–5% below the original list

• Profile: Median Greenville price point, move-in ready more often than not

  • Median original list → final list → sold: $319,000 → $317,265 → $313,200

  • Effective discount: ~3.14% off the original list (including concessions)

  • $/sf: ~$164.17 (highest of all groups)

  • Time to deal: ~25 days

  • Cash vs. financing: ~19.7% cash / 80.36% financed

  • New construction: ~17.38%

  • Sample size: 1,680 sales (largest bucket)

    
    

Takeaway: This is the norm in a seller-leaning market: clean homes, light or no price reductions, and a 2–5% wiggle from list—usually within 2–4 weeks of hitting the market.

How soon can you expect a discount?

One of the smartest parts of the analysis was timing:

• ~11% of resales (zero to three days on market) went under contract at least 2% under list right away.

• Translation: walking in on Day 1 and landing 2–5% off does happen, but not often—and sometimes there’s pre-market context (agent/agent, existing conversations, etc.).

  
  

For anything over 5% off, the pattern is clear: time and price cuts. The bigger the discount, the more likely the home has:

1. Sat for weeks to months, and

2. Racked up multiple reductions.

Cash or financing?

• At >30% off, roughly 70% of sales were cash—nearly all fixers.

• At 20–30% off, cash dropped to ~34%.

• From 10–20% down through 2–5%, sales normalized near 20% cash / 80% financed.

If your target is a deep discount, expect repair needs and be ready with cash (or a well-managed renovation loan). For mid-range discounts (5–15%), conventional financing ruled.

New construction’s quiet role

Builders took it on the chin last year and early this year, and they responded with closing cost credits and rate buydowns. That’s why new construction shows up in every discount band—and especially why the 10–20% bucket is so large. When you factor concessions into the “effective” discount, builder deals move the needle.

Strategy: how to think (and act) like the data

1) Don’t lead with a lowball if the listing is new. Making a 10–20% under-ask offer in Week 1 can poison the well. Sellers get offended, don’t counter, and you end up negotiating against yourself.

2) Let price reductions be your roadmap.

• 0–2 reductions / <1 month: Expect 2–5% off—maybe.

• 1–2 reductions / ~6–8 weeks: 5–10% becomes realistic.

• Multiple reductions / ~3 months: 10–20% is in play; deeper if it’s a rural fixer.

  
  

3) Watch days on market like a hawk. The spreadsheet says it bluntly: time = leverage. The “how long” signal matters as much as the “how much.”

4) If you’re chasing >20% off, shop where it lives. That means rural lots, fixer-uppers, or new construction with heavy incentives. Otherwise, recalibrate expectations to the 5–10% lane.

5) Ask about concessions early. The analysis included seller-paid closing costs in the effective discount. If the headline price is sticky, credits can quietly deliver the “real” savings you’re after.

A reality check for buyers

This market is still seller-leaning. On average, fresh listings that are clean and priced near reality sell close to ask within a few weeks. Most buyers who actually land a deal below the list do one of three things:

• Move quickly on a solid home for a 2–5% savings,

• Track a listing through a price cut or two and pounce around 5–10% off, or

• Hunt rural fixers (often with cash) for deep discounts after months on market.

  
  

In short, if you want homes for less than the list price in Greenville, the path exists, but it’s specific. The data shows you exactly where and when.

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Bottom Line

Greenville buyers can still beat asking—strategically. The most common win is a 2–5% dip within a few weeks on well-kept resales; 5–10% shows up after one or two reductions and six to eight weeks. Double-digit discounts usually demand patience, price cuts, and often properties that need work (or builder incentives). And if you’re swinging for more than 20–30% off, expect rural locations, fixer realities, and a strong chance you’ll need cash.

Ien Araneta

Journal & Podcast Editor | Selling Greenville