Good luck - ditch the realtor and the loan officer and move on!
FYI, when my first offer / counteroffer scenario fell through, I was so disillusioned that I told my realtor the next time we went to look (to see 6 houses) that I didn't want to see ANY. I ended up liking 3 of them (and a 4th that I saw a few days later) enough that I was weighing their pros and cons when one more came on the market. I looked at the pictures and tried to figure out how I would get it financed (bathroom fixtures plus kitchen removed). I called my realtor, he said he thought I would have to be a cash buyer to get it because he didn't know how I could finance it. (He wasn't familiar with 203k) He checked it out on his own and said it needed 20-30k in work. I told him I'd figure it out and get back to him. I did, and he showed me the house. One trip through the house with other buyers in it after having seen dozens of other houses, and I knew it was this one. It's much better than the house I got so depressed about the negotiations falling through on. I know you don't believe it, but you will find it.
Oh, and find an exclusive buyer's agent.
Starting Score: EQ 583 TU04 619 EX 592 (lender pull) 2010
Yeah, cause it's your fault they came back at a price you were unwilling to pay and that the deal seemed fishy.
An exclusive buyer's agent *never* represents a seller. There are some agencies that only have buyer's agents. I found mine by choosing an inspector and asking him if there was a realtor he knew who would know stuff about the kinds of houses I was interested in. I specifically wanted an older home and I wanted a realtor who would have an idea of what he/she was looking at when walking through them so I would have an idea of what I'm looking at. i.e., I don't know anything about wiring, he was able to point out knob & tube and had a good idea of how much it would be to upgrade it...he also renovates houses himself and rents them out, with a focus on older homes. He's actually the only person I interviewed. I decided he was right because he wasn't giving me rehearsed answers to the questions I'd come up with (google "what to ask realtor interview"). Some of them downright made him make a pained face - like "what's your average accepted offer vs. list price?" He never tried to sell me on a particular house, but he made sure I had valid comparables. He absolutely went above and beyond, even after closing. Here's another thing that sold me on him: he asked me what I was looking for and determined that it wouldn't be a conflict of interest for him to assist me. He doesn't want to represent two buyers who may end up wanting the same house, so he probably wouldn't have represented me if my search parameters overlapped too much with one of his other clients'.
Above and beyond, you ask? When I bought cabinets at Habitat for Humanity prior to closing and asked if it was remotely possible to store them at the house, he ended up picking them up himself and storing them in his garage for me. He also bought me a condensate pump (he was going to install it but he didn't end up getting around to it) to keep the broken one from leaking on the floor in my then-future basement. Oh, and he came by to troubleshoot my plumbing after I closed when I was trying to figure out exactly what the maintenance company did wrong (they had capped / cut supply lines to my 2nd floor to "fix" a leak).
Hi Booner, I don't know if you believe things happen for a reason or not but they really do.
We looked at a lot of houses when we started looking and made an offer on one that I thought was just perfect... and it was turned down flat, not even a counter offer. So I took that with a grain of salt and forged on till I found my "perfect" house...
We looked at quite a few more houses after the big let down. And we would drive pass this one that was for sale down the street from where I was living. It was cute from the outside, and it was on a good size lot (1/3 of an acre). So I had my realtor let us look at it.
I was taken back when I walked inside. I knew this was my house I felt it inside, not like I felt with the "big let down". Something lit up in me. ( I guess my face changed too because the realtor made a comment about it lol ) The inside needed so much cosmetic work though. It had God awful ugly wall paper, needed a paint job, new carpet, and new appliances. But I seen past all that my husband is like "but it will be a lot of work", but I didn't mind, to me it just made it more mine doing all the stuff that need to be done. I fell in love with my house even with all the cosmetic things wrong with it. 
We did end up going round and round, offer/counter, offer/counter (bank owned) but they wouldn't budge on price they did end up paying my closing though, which was a good thing, but I guess thats the norm for selling anymore.. so who knows. All I do know is that, this was going to be my house! Long story short we have been living here a little over two years now. And happy still. 
So believe things happen for a reason and before you know it you will get that feeling when you walk in to a certain house and you will know inside its yours! Best of luck to you. I hope you find "your perfect house" very soon!!
Starting Score:4/5/11 TU 660 fico, EQ 634 fico, EX 647 (Credit Inform)
They're asshats.
I peeled my huge was-living-room-now-bedroom of a good amount of wallpaper. It's less hard than you think. Spray bottle with hot water (some people recommend adding fabric softener or vinegar - the only difference I noticed was smell). Room temp water works, too. Get a marking tool (I got a handheld one from Lowe's - it's a plastic case with "bitey" wheels inside). Don't press too hard or you can mark up the drywall underneath. Get a plastic spackle knife thing. Work in sections, recommended is top to bottom, but I did what I could reach. Circular motion with the bitey thing, spray well with the water, go to another section and repeat. By the time you've soaked the 2nd section, the first should be ready. Go to one of the seams, peel up a little bit and get your plastic tool underneath and just pull.
It was REALLY A SHAME that I took down the baby-poop-and-burgundy striped wallpaper....and the burgundy carpet that smelled like mold. Now all I have is an aqua and light blue room (white wainscotting is not up yet) with solid oak floors. Such a downgrade.
