I'm going to save you from the mistake I made twice. Do not wait until after you accept to bring up remote. By then you have zero leverage and HR has already mentally moved on to the next hire.
Here's the playbook I've used across three job changes, two of which ended up fully remote when the initial posting said 'hybrid.'
Ask early, frame it as logistics, not demands. During the final interview or right before the offer call, say something like: 'Before we get to offer details, I want to make sure we're aligned on location. My understanding is this is a hybrid role. What does a typical week look like for the team?' You're gathering information, not negotiating yet. You'll learn whether hybrid means 2 days a week or 4.
When the offer comes, negotiate remote the same call as comp. Recruiters expect a counter. They budget for it. Saying 'I'd like to explore fully remote or 1-day-per-week in-office, and I can be flexible on start date' gives them two things to trade on. Comp + location together.
Get it in writing. 'The team operates hybrid and we expect roughly 2 days in-office per month' in an email is infinitely better than a verbal assurance. Companies change RTO policies. Your written offer usually doesn't.
If they say the policy is firm: ask about exceptions for performance, travel roles, or distributed team members. A lot of 'firm' policies have carveouts that nobody volunteers. I got a written remote exception once just by asking if anyone else on the team was already distributed.
The worst that happens is they say no. That itself is useful information about how flexible the culture actually is.
What's worked for people here? Did any of you successfully flip a hybrid role to remote after offer?