Bluffing — or Not — About a Backup Buyer
True or false: if a home Seller receives and accepts a more attractive backup offer from another Buyer (“Buyer #2”), they’ll tell Buyer #1 about it.
Answer: false (usually).
2+ Birds in Hand
In my experience, when the Seller has a more attractive backup offer already in hand, they won’t say anything to Buyer #1, especially if the first deal 
is at all contentious.
In fact, the Seller’s agent may not even return phone calls or emails from Buyer #1’s agent.
Instead, assuming Buyer #1 raises any inspection issues, the Seller will simply wait for the Inspection Addendum timetable to play out, and move on to the backup offer when the first deal automatically cancels (the standard Minnesota Inspection Addendum says that’s what happens if the Buyer and Seller can’t resolve any inspection issues).
Corollary: Sellers who loudly proclaim they have a more attractive backup offer in hand . . . don’t.
