Room to neg. if near drop dead date in contract?

ask for equivalent price reduction to equal the increased financing costs so that your monthly payment remains the same...do not let them buy your rate down, you are better off with a lower sales price

there is more than one way to skin a cat. In my case, I asked that they either reduce the selling price or contribute more towards my closing cost in addition to the transfer taxes that they were originally willing to absorb. In the end, the sponsor agreed to contribute more towards my closing costs as they wanted to preserve their comparables at all cost. You take what you can get, but they gotta give up something that's for sure.

Thank you both for your input.

Salvydicopa - did you wait until you had a rate lock?