reduction in purchase price or closing costs?

I think you are better off asking for a credit for closing costs. A seller may want to rationalize that they did not lose money or did not lose that much money on their sale. I think that many people do not factor closing costs into their calculation. If you ask for a reduction in purchase price, it may be too hard for them to ignore. In the end people want to avoid loss, and if they can convince themselves that they broke even, then let them.

as a seller, i would want to have a lower purchase price. it will be easier to get the appraisal done and i will not have to come to the table with money during closing.

A savvy seller knows its "lost" money either way so might not have a preference. But for a not so savvy person, I'd think a closing cost credit would be easier to swallow as the other posted said, b/c the seller can tell himself "I got X for my apartment."

Also, the final price is what shows up on ACRIS, so in some ways it can be better for buyer to have that reflected, even if it's artificial, as it could help with comps come resale time. If the seller is a developer with units left in the building, they will almost certainly want the same thing. Get them to pay as much of the closing costs plus several months' worth of maintenance+taxes if possible.

Thanks for your comments.
BJW- can you let me know if I understood your comment correctly? The buyer has another interest in getting closing costs rather than a reduction in price because when he goes to RESELL it is easier to get a better offer if ACRIS shows you paid more rather than showing the discounted price? Similarly, a developer wants to keep the sale price higher so units he sells after yours can demand a higher price based on your unit as one of the comps?

HOW COMMON IS IT TO ASK SELLER FOR A CLOSING COST CREDIT?

Any recent experiences from the Manhattan co-op market (<500k)? I have bought outside of NYC before and am under the impression that it is very common that the buyer asks the seller for some amount towards closing costs. I'm considering making a bid on a co-op unit (where the ask is quite realistic already) and was wondering what the custom is here (obviously data is hard to come by on this issue so I'm asking for your experiences).

Thanks in advance.

HOW COMMON IS IT TO ASK SELLER FOR A CLOSING COST CREDIT?Any recent experiences from the Manhattan coop market (<500k)? I have bought property outside of NYC before and am under the impression that it is very common that the buyer asks the seller for some amount towards closing costs. I'm considering making a bid on a coop unit (where the ask is quite realistic already) and was wondering what the custom is here (obviously data is hard to come by on this issue so I'm asking for experiences). Thanks in advance.

won't take my whole posting...