We still have would-be sellers taking personal offense at offers to purchase because they’re too low. In effect, these people still blame the buyers for their problems and haven’t yet accepted the idea that their problem was their purchase, not their sale.
You just need to allow the market conditions to do the tenderizing for you. That way it’s not your fault they’re losing out. Once the sellers are softened up enough to cooperate they’ll sell.
By the same token, buyers can take offense at being asked to pay such high prices. I don’t see any harm in assisting the tenderizing process with low ball offers, and rubbing in a bit of salt for good measure. But perhaps, don’t make low ball offers to agents that you may want to work with down the line.
