Q: What are three words that you don't want to hear from your real estate agent?

So, it turns out that after all our not-so-patient waiting, agonizing and what we thought was a more-than-generous offer, we came up short. Real short.

This wasn't because our offer was bad in any absolute sense - it was approximately 97% of the asking price, which our fair market research showed was a bit better than the regional average. $350k is a lot of money. Nope, three pesky people had to bid above the asking price. One even waived the "I rescind this offer if I can't get a mortgage" clause from his/her bid, in what can only be seen as an act of desperation. This insanity, on a house that's been on the market 17 days (the regional average in this price range is 120+ days and growing), in a landsliding market. Yipes.

You live and you learn. Our agent now has a better idea of what Ruth and I are looking for, so hopefully we'll see fewer duds. I think that it'll be a few weeks before I'm ready to pony-up again, though. It's been a harrowing experience.