The stories almost seem like urban legends. Savvy buyers negotiating thousands off the prices of homes, getting free appliances and all types of extras thrown in — even new cars.

But the stories are true. This is a buyer's market, and if you are a buyer, you can negotiate what you need to get into a home, according the builders who say they are reaching the breaking point and must sell homes.

Christopher Oquendo/Special (ENLARGE)

With the addition of a daughter, 22-month-old Olivia, and a pet, Gloria Bath and her husband needed more space, which they found in Douglasville.

Christopher Oquendo/Special (ENLARGE)

The Baths moved in to Tributary with their Grant Park home still on the market. But a deal to delay mortgage payments gives them breathing room.

Ask some agents, builders and recent buyers, and they're likely to promote now as the time to buy (the Greater Atlanta Home Builders Association has even spearheaded a marketing campaign with that theme and seminars, including one on Feb. 23).

"I was afraid that if I waited any longer, I was going to miss the boat," said Guy Baker, 39, a neonatal nurse at Piedmont Hospital, who moved into a new townhome he bought for $235,000 in The Heights at Grant Park in November.

If you are ready to make your move or must buy a new place now, it's possible to find excellent deals in some of Atlanta's most talked-about neighborhoods.

"It's a fabulous opportunity to move up in this marketplace," said Melissa Morgan, an agent with Keller Williams Premier Atlanta.

A lot of builders need to unload their excess inventory, or the bank will have to take it over, Atlanta real estate expert and consultant John Adams said. So buyers have the opportunity to haggle over a price and make "ridiculous offers," he said.

It's true, said Freddy Rodriguez, a 30-year-old computer consultant who did just that in his move from Miami, and in the process, talked the builder into paying off his new car.

"It's a down market, so they shouldn't be afraid to negotiate anything, even if it sounds ridiculous," he said.

Adams also believes now is the time. He expects sales to bottom out in metro Atlanta in late February/early March, with the market picking up steam in the spring.

"In less than five years' time, we will look back at the winter of 2008 and say, 'That was the right time to buy real estate,' " he said.

If you're going to do so, here's a week's worth of things to consider:

Developments with homes listed at slightly out of your range may be within your reach in this market. You may be able to negotiate a price on a home in a neighborhood you might not have been able to afford before, Morgan said.

2. Look around.

One clue that the builder needs to sell now is the state of the neighborhood. Check out how many completed homes are for sale, and whether construction is under way or has stalled on others. Or a bank may own the property. "If your goal is to steal a house, then what you're looking for is someone who is at the end of their financial rope, and your purchase will ... allow them to accomplish their goal of staying afloat for an additional period of time," Adams said. "That's not only the case with builders, but also the case with some owners who are facing financial difficulties."

3. Analyze other sales.

Morgan recommends looking at other sales in that specific community for homes of similar size, age and style. She helped buyers in the Historic College Park neighborhood buy a four-bedroom, three-bath home originally listed for $535,000 for $484,900. They had been looking at the neighborhood for about four months, so they were familiar with sales and knew that home was overpriced, she said. By the time they made an offer, the price had dropped to $499,000. The sellers took their first offer, at $484,900. "I didn't think they were going to come back and accept right away. I thought they would at least come back in the $490s. I was expecting a counteroffer," she said.

4. Be willing to walk away.

You have to be willing to say, "I couldn't care less whether I get this house or another house. If I don't get this, I'll just buy something else," Adams said. Baker was interested in another East Atlanta townhome community, but the builder held firm to his price instead of considering a lower offer, so Baker moved on to The Heights at Grant Park. That builder was willing to negotiate, giving extras at no extra cost in the three-bedroom, 3 1/2-bath townhome. "The builder was very flexible and willing to work with me and include upgrades that I didn't have to pay for," he said. "I was able to ask for some things and get some things I wanted without much trouble at all."

5. Measure your request.

Determine what's most important to you as a buyer. "Expecting to go into a builders' brand-new subdivision and expecting to get them to pay all the closing costs and the HOA (fee) for the year and the upgrades and finish the basement, you might be misunderstanding where the market is," Morgan said. "Builders do have a stop point ... You're going to get a great deal, but you also need to measure what your requests of the seller will be, because you can't get something for nothing." She added that FMLS data shows that in 77 percent of transactions these days, sellers are paying either some or all of the closing costs.

6. Leverage the market.

Baker let agents know what other communities were offering him. One was giving away a washer and dryer and a flat-screen TV. Another was offering blinds and plantation shutters throughout. If they know you're close to putting a contract down somewhere else, they may be willing to work with you to keep you, he said.

7. Ask ... and you likely shall receive.

Builders are looking to sell, even for below cost, to free up enough cash, pull the equity out of that home and make it another day, said Jason D. Gills, who builds homes from the $200,000s to the low $300,000s in Gwinnett County neighborhoods. "I think most builders are to the point now that they're just trying to liquidate at or below cost," he said. He's working on an individual basis with buyers, allowing them to place an offer and trying to find a "happy medium." One buyer in Primrose Creek, a Sugar Hill neighborhood, purchased a home appraised at $250,000 for $220,000 and received a free refrigerator, washer, dryer and fence as part of the deal. "We're entertaining any sort of an offer," Gillis said.

MOVING UP

The buyers: David and Gloria Bath

Moving from: Grant Park, where their home remains on the market

Moving to: A four-bedroom, 41/2-bath home with a full unfinished basement in Tributary's Riverbanks neighborhood in Douglas County; the home backs up to Sweetwater Creek State Park and the Chattahoochee River.

The issue: Space. Their three-bedroom Grant Park home seemed cramped after the birth of Olivia, now 22 months, and the addition of a Great Dane as the family pet.

When started looking: This past summer. They put their house on the market in late June, starting at $350,000. The current price is $329,000 (they bought the house for $320,000 two years ago).

The buying experience: When they first started to look, no incentives were available, Gloria said. But they received a call in early November letting them know that prices at Tributary had dropped and incentives were on the table. "That's what brought us back out here," she said.

Their deal: Their home was listed at $445,000, and they took advantage of an incentive providing either $30,000 off the price or six months of mortgage payments. They chose to use it for the mortgage, with hopes that their home will sell before their first payment comes due.

Tips for getting a dream home for a deal: Don't be afraid to ask for what you want, in terms of the price. "What we've ended up with is a great house that works for us right now, but will grow with us," she said. "This is basically our house for the long haul."

RELOCATING HERE

The buyers: Freddy and Veronica Rodriguez

Moving from: Miami

Moving to: Hampton Mill in Douglasville, priced from the $250,000s-$350,000s.

The issue: The couple, who have a 22-month-old daughter and a baby on the way, moved to metro Atlanta because of family, with plans for Veronica to stay at home with the children. Facing five to six years of car payments on their 2007 Yukon, they were looking closely at their monthly costs.

When started looking: A couple of months ago. "We were kind of following a bunch of signs and ran into Hampton Mill," Freddy said. "It had beautiful homes and good incentives."

The buying experience: Although the only incentives he saw were offering $30,000 off the base price and toward closing costs, Freddy decided it was worth a try to ask the builder to pay off his car. "I pretty much told them, I said, 'Well to be frank with you guys, the only way I'm going to purchase this house, which I love ... is if I could use the incentive to pay off my car.'"

The deal: The builder, Kensington Homes, gave the entire amount — $36,000 — to eliminate the car payment. Rodriguez figured not having that car payment would give them breathing room, particularly while Veronica stays home at least until the children head off to school. "Just from a month-to-month perspective, it was better for us," he said.

Tips for getting a dream home for a deal: Think about what monthly expenses you're facing and make those incentives work for you.