Everything is negotiable, but the question is by how much.

has anyone had luck in doing so? if so, what were you able to pull out of the deal?

Every builder is different in what their leeway is on the price.

We built a new home two years ago with a production builder. We were able to get $20K off of the base price, and then a credit of $35K to use in the design studio when we made our design selections.

what was the list price of the home?

It all depends on location, the market in that area and profit margin of builder. We just built a new home and the builder would hardly negotiate at all for our development (b/c it was a desirable location and they were not having any problems selling homes). In this same builders other development, they were giving free basements, $30K for the design center and other incentives. Do your homework and try to find other buyers who have used that specific builder. Good luck!

I bought one of the last homes available in a builder's tract. The home had sat empty for 2 years, but it was brand new. It came with granite tile counter tops. This would not have been my choice, but the design center was no longer there. It had concrete slab flooring so I shopped and found my own flooring and appliances. The walk through happened and chipped paint, non working electrical outlets, etc. were fixed by the builder. Sometimes you have to live there for a while to begin noticing other building errors. By the time I noticed some things, the builder was out of business........ You could talk to your builder and see if he'll let you skip his design center and shop elsewhere. Not sure if you can do any better retail than the discount offered through him.

In our case we were/are literally the first to have signed on the dotted line for a home in the development. We got the choice lot (in our minds) for a discount and our build price should be less per square foot than others in the development.

However ours is not a "typical" development in that no two homes will be the same. Each home is truly a custom home. I designed mine myself (the draftsman just made sure it all fit) and other people in the development can use one of the builder's plans, or their own. I'm basing the pricing on what the lots are now selling for plus what the square footage price is going for.

If you are buying a tract home in a newer subdivision, most builders will not negotiate selling price, because that will affect appraisals of their other homes. Most builders will give closing cost assistance or allow for some upgrades like landscaping, appliance upgrade, etc in lieu of CC assistance. Typically 2-4%.

On a custom built home, by a builder that does one house at a time, you may be able to negotiate a discounted sale price, depending on how long it's been on the market. It's worth asking.