The $300 fee is becoming more popular, probably offer submission.com, which is a platform some banks use for offers/counter offers, and is pad by the buyer.  

The offer was submitted late Monday evening, Tuesday we got a counter offer from the builder that was $5,000 MORE than full price!?

He has more rental property in a couple of other cities but claimed he wanted to get out of this market.While we were negotiating he was slow to get back with a counter offer, taking 3-4 days instead of 2.  

Instead, they are looking for bids and possibly bids going over the asking price (where that is really difficult to ask for over the asking price in a simple counter offer).While it sucks, don't let it get to you personally.

They are being micro-managed to death until they are just mindless clerks.So they will ask for an appraisal based on recent-like-sale-property comps.If the comps show that the offer is within some close range of the appraised value - they will approve the deal.If the offer is too far out of the money they might counter-offer - but more likely in my experience; just say: nope; offer rejected.But the real problem to me with short sales is that ANY change in the deal, no matter how slight, always sets the deal back to square one.

So, any counter offer you make will need justification.1.

Throw out an offer, use the bank addendums (their counter offer even if they accept your price) and inspection period.

The asking price was $35k from the bank but the investor held his ground for 3 weeks and only went up to $9k and got the property from the bank who kept saying they would not go lower with every counter offer they made.

If so, did your agent do a comp analysis for you and warn you that your offer was low, and that you should expect a higher counteroffer?

When you come back with your report, submit "your" counter offer.