Texas has another VA loan that sweetens the deal on top of the federal.

If you're buying a house, just go buy it and ask the seller to take 3% off the price, or allow them to keep the extra 3% to sweeten the deal...If you're selling your flip or whatever, there are plenty of vehicles that allow you to safely do so and offer varying degrees of assistance depending on your experience and tolerance levels.

It was a very competitive seller's market, so we had to sweeten the deal with appraisal gap coverage.How did you finance this deal?

Sweeten the pot and offer him a little cash up front to entice him to carry you.

I would think letting the LA keep the 6% or whatever would sweeten the chances of getting the offer accepted. 

Even though I am a licensed real estate agent, I let him have the entire $79,500 in commission to sweeten the deal to my broker.That is BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS - it's not lip service or a pat on the back.

Also to sweeten the deal, I planned on telling him to take what he wants and I’ll empty out the house (he is 70 and his son is about 45 so I can see this being appealing-the house is loaded with stuff).

I remember hearing on a Bp podcast about putting down $100,000.00 as a deposit would sweeten the offer, and that as long a I have my contingencies in place I should be fine.

You could even sweeten the pot and pay them a couple thousand more to do the work.If the work is done prior to closing, this allows you to buy the home on a 3.5% FHA loan, but not have to deal with the extra paperwork and the longer turn time to close the loan that an FHA203K requires. 

And it actually tastes pretty good when you sweeten it up with honey or brown sugar.