I asked my Realtor what about making a competitive offer and he said it's sufficient to let the listing agent know that we also have interest in the property and they should contact us if their deal doesn't go through.Another guy I talked to told me that some agents will break contracts (even in the middle of inspection) if a more competitive offer is on the table.

A deal came across my table today that is a contract for deed with very good terms and purchase price.

Having everyone involved all setting around the closing table at once is a rarity, in my experience.

I am selling a condo FSBO, and have an offer on the table.

If you really want to sell, you could find the cash and bring it to the table.

I can't speak for your area, but I've been on the board of the Oklahoma City REIA for about 6 years or more...the meetings consist of a mix between Outside Speakers, Round Tables (various topics with local experts), Lender Fairs, Panel Discussions, and the like.

Greed is a deal killer always leave something on the table for the next guy.So apparently you aren't using your own money, but rather OPM.

At one end, let's have two guys playing chess on a Card table.

Obviously the lenders will want to see an offer on the table, so if the owner has an offer can they contact the bank themselves and start the short sale process?

If you invested $150 a month and earned 10% annual return, you'd wind up with 1 year = $1,885 2 years = $3,967 5 years = $11,616 10 years = $30,727 15 years = $62,171 30 years = $339,073 40 years = $948,611 That same chapter also has a great table of "The Time Value of Money", as well as a form that is to be used to log daily spending (like what Rich recommended in his post).