Having both buyers and sellers at arms length away from one another can prove fatal when trying to negotiate a deal. In my area, the buyer's and seller's never meet one another unless the seller happens to be home during the actual showing. It is just as easy to write the offer and send the buyer home or out to dinner while you are negotiating on their behalf. Counteroffers are then verbal over the telephone (most people today have cell phones for easy access) and when an actual agreement is reached the purchase price and terms are written as such. The seller signs right then and there and you meet with the buyer again to initial the changes. So, it may be a little inconveient for me but it works out to everyone's benefit in the long run and that is what really matters. mbd