Success can be measured in many ways and its always a matter of perception.

You should be consulting with your agent on their perception of the situation and how to proceed.

I was curious if buyers outside of the US are treated differently and if that perception is why he asked to increase it.

Your perception of the seller is what got you to lose the deal.

it's intimidating but with a good QI the fear is more perception than reality! 

Things going for you when you are younger (everything is generalizations): no family obligations, unbounded energy, a mind that is not jaded/an open mind, a willingness to experiment, geographically mobile, lots of time.Things going against you when you are younger: no money, no experience, no track record, unknown interests/abilities, no societal acceptance of ability. 

This is a perceptive question and one I hope I can add value to you on. 

Its all perception and social like Will stated. 

The local perception of the neighborhood will affect the market value more than a fireplace or a porch.

Couple quick points and then some feedback from the AZ Economic and Real Estate Analysis.This is a look into the “fear based mentality” that some of my peers are operating from:A startling survey result stated “that 58% mortgage/loan originators think or feel there is mgoing to be a housing crash in the next 2 years and are fueling the public perception of housing market”; yet, there are “zero” economic or statistical indicators pointing us in that direction.