Help Needed - Potential Shady Real Estate Agent

[Damian LoBasso]

Hello All,

My partners and I went to see a listing this past weekend that is part of an estate sale in which the Listing Agent also happens to be the Executor of the estate (the house belonged to her mother).  After reviewing the property we agreed to make an offer and to engage the Listing Agent to be our agent as well, with the hopes that not losing half the commission will give us some priority should there be multiple offers.  The house was originally listed on 12/15/16 for $380,000, then dropped to $355,000 three weeks later.  This is a single family home in a B+ neighborhood which needs a complete remodel.  With comps in the mid to high 400s for renovated homes, we agreed our starting point would be $259,999.  

I sent her an email on her work email address indicating that my partners and I were interested in engaging her to represent us and that we wanted to place a formal offer of $259,999 on the property.  About an hour later she sends me an email from her personal email address that she is confident she can get in the 300's and that our offer is too low and she completely disregarded my request to move forward with a formal offer.

My question is, does she have an obligation as Executor of the estate to present all offers?  Is she breaking any real estate rules by essentially refusing to formally place my offer?  My initial thought was that there is a reserve in the deceased's will that might prompt a sale at a certain price and she doesn't want to present my offer because she thinks she can get more, especially since she most likely is entitled to either a percentage or the entirety of the sale since it was her mother's house.  I'm thinking of just engaging a separate Buyer's Agent to just place a formal offer this weekend so she would have to record it.

Any and all guidance would be appreciated as always!!! Thank you!