Absolutely, and a slowdown squeezes builders harder than individual sellers, which is exactly where your leverage comes from. A homeowner who dislikes the offers coming in can pull the listing and stay put. A builder can't. Builders are in the business of selling homes, every unsold unit carries cost, and when demand cools and rates rise they get far more willing to negotiate than a typical owner. The signs show up in concrete ways: - Contract cancellations. Buyers back out of new-construction contracts, leaving builders with completed or near-complete inventory they need to move. - Incentives. Rate buydowns and closing-cost credits appear, aimed at keeping the effective payment attractive even when rates are elevated. - Outreach to outside agents. A real tell. In a hot stretch, builders often skip outside agents entirely because buyers walk into the sales office on their own. For a buyer, that dynamic is an opportunity. In a slowdown, new construction is often one of the more negotiable corners of the market precisely because the seller is a business that can't wait you out. Bring your own agent from the first visit, keep your own lender in the conversation, and weigh the builder's incentive package against a true independent quote. And remember a builder credit is given in lieu of a lower price, so negotiate price, upgrades, and financing together rather than taking the first package offered.