Seller countering with higher price

[Chris Matheson]

I made an offer on my first commercial property. It is an 8 plex near where I live and is rented under market by about 20%. I have walked the property with the owner and finally made an offer a couple weeks ago. The seller countered with a higher amount than he was previously asking. I stepped back and after a weeks thought made a new offer a couple thousand below asking. The seller again countered with a much higher price. Am I being messed with? I thought jumping into a bigger unit was the way to go but it does not seem like the seller wants to get rid of the property. Any advice on how to land this deal as rents could be increased to market value (all mtm tenants) and would cashflow well. Thanks

[Mark H. Porter]

You really need to ask the seller why they are doing this.  What’s the harm?