Coldwell Banker Rebate: Is It Fluff?

As home sales rallied nationwide in March, the real estate conglomerate Coldwell Banker and its franchisees have kicked-off a rebate program to pick up the slack -- or potential slowdown -- after the federal home-tax credit expires. The program begins May 1.

But marketing-campaign aside, some real estate agents say that the program -- in which sellers offer buyers a 3 percent rebate, or up to $8,000, on the price of their home -- is a discount already commonly negotiated in the buying process. It's especially common when a motivated seller is concerned.

What makes this incentive different, according to Paula Gatlin, a broker with a Coldwell Banker franchise in the Dallas area, is the assurance that a discount will happen and won't be left to negotiation. "These sellers are offering it upfront," she says. "You don't have to worry that they are going to do it."

So why can't home-buyers get the rebate every day?