Seller playing 'hard to get'

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I seem to have a seller here that is either unmotivated or just bluffing. The property is a fixer and does require a ton a work. In our initial conversation he passionately wanted to sell and said to make him an offer and that he had turned down a previous offer for $35K from an interested rehabber.

Reviewing actual sales comp, $165K ARV very probable. I made him a conditional offer of $40K cash and he refused; says its too low and that he is going to go to his previous offer (which he apparently forgot he told me was $35K). It appears he keeps turning down any offer but when asked what price he wants to sell for, he never mentions a price. Have any of you encountered any such sellers? Shouldn't a legitimate seller, tell you at what price he wants to sell a property?

Usually I would move on but the property might make a good rehab project; it is however very risky in that the property has been vacant for a very long time and actual repair estimates if in excess of the current estimate, might cause some problems.

These are some of the numbers:

ARV = $165K (but, Zillow =190K, homesnap=189K, homes.com=$145K, realtor.com=270K, eppraisal=$312, average=$221K)

Repairs = $52K (based on sellers contractor, unverified. Offer was based on receiving verifiable repair estimate)

If using the 70% rule, $50K (or mid $50K) might be justifiable but not without concrete repair estimate. Shouldn't a motivated seller at the very least mention his selling price? 

Feels like some sort of 'hard to get' game with a damsel. He is somewhat elderly so not sure if this is normal negotiation in some circles?