It's a buyer's market for U.S. housing, with 47% more sellers offering homes than buyers in April 2026, according to data from Redfin. When buyers are scarce, sellers often try to stand out by offering concessions like the 2-1 buydown, which is a temporary rate buydown that reduces mortgage payments for the first two years of a loan. A 2-1 buydown is an attractive concession when interest rates are high but are expected to drop. Melissa Cohn, regional vice president at William Raveis Mortgage, points to ...