[Oregon] Have almost negotiated a house down to my budget in a tight seller's market. Need some last minute advice. RealEstate

The Scenario: I live in a tight market with nothing for less than $250k that lasts for more than a couple days. I found a good house with an odd layout, priced at $170k that was on the market for 3 weeks. I offered $140k with $5k closing costs. Within an hour they countered with $160k with $3k closing cost and reduced our inspection time from 10 days to 7 days. Their realtor told my realtor that the owner had refinanced and needed to close at a certain price to cover the mortgage and have a good down payment on her next house (which doesn't matter to me in the slightest - I have a budget too and their counter doesn't fit my budget).

Last night I waited until the counter-offer was about to expire and offered $148k with $3k closing, plus I increased the earnest from $500-$1500 to show we were serious. My agent was just at my work for service (unrelated to our deal) and while he was here he got a text message from their agent asking if we would accept $150k with $1k closing, and they keep the refrigerator. He also mentioned he sent the counter in text so that we could avoid writing up all the paperwork and counters again (I think they're desperate to sell this place fast).

My budget for down payment and all costs to close, including inspection, appraisal, etc., is about $32k. Because of an issue with my credit and work history, my underwriter is requiring that I have 20% down payment ($30k on $150k). My realtor said my closing costs, inspections, etc., are going to run around $4500. If they cover $1000, that leaves me $1500 over my budget and I'll have to buy a refrigerator (approx $700).

So here's where all my questions come in... Am I missing a bargaining chip with the fact that they're texting my realtor asking if I'll accept their counter before they send it? Is that some sort of trap or are they desperate to sell this place ASAP? Should I tell my agent to text him back saying we need it to be less? Would it make sense if I increased my offering price to $152,500 (my down would increase to $30,500) and require they cover $4500 closing costs, then I would have $1500 left for additional costs, plus a refrigerator?

Submitted September 08, 2017 at 04:31AM by OMGTako http://ift.tt/2wcSy8I RealEstate