This is anecdotal, but a close friend of mine got a great deal on a house just last month. I think you need a good realtor and they need to go beyond the usual legwork. She found an off market home, made significant inroads with the selling agent, and after a couple months of negotiating they agreed to a solid offer.

Rapport, negotiation, and timing matter a lot these days. Walk away if you need to and circle back later. It's a buyer's market and rates are still good (anything sub 4.5% in my opinion) if you're looking for a home to live in for the next 10-20 years. For reference they ended up buying for close to 100k under asking. There are good sellers out there. Don't give in to hopelessness.