Stalemate
A stalemate in chess occurs when you force your opponent into a position where he cannot legally make a move. On the surface, this sounds like an ideal position to place them in but in chess it ends up neither a win nor a loss regardless of how much of an advantage you have at the time.
Negotiating opportunities in apartments is similar. You want to be very careful not to put the seller (or buyer) in a position where they just cannot make a decision. Sometimes there are laws in place forcing certain things, other times there are (not-so) silent partners with expectations to be met, and other times you may have put the other party in a position where they stand to lose their self-respect.
Getting a deal done is appears to be very difficult these days. I have had three opportunities fall apart within the last 6 months. Of course I am frustrated, but I made the realization I have been overly aggressive in my negotiations. This just won’t do – there are enough hurdles to overcome these days without creating my own.
If the deal meets your expectations, and you can get past all the standard hurdles (financing/capital/management), don’t start adding your own into the mix. Pull the trigger.