sdrealtor, I’m not exactly sure what the better system is, but “best and final” has me feeling completely used and bitter and I am looking to exact my pound of flesh. And I felt that way before you said anything (but captured beautifully).
The awesome double whammy for me is being an REO, I won’t even be able to demand much flesh, will I?
In the FWIW department, my last house was a multi-offer, but it did have more transparency. Maybe it was a fluke, but I did care for it quite a bit more. It felt fair and left me with a good feeling toward the sellers. This turned out to be a good thing because they were only moving across the street after which we became not only neighbors, but good friends.