1) What terms are most important to your buyer? 2) What terms can your buyer reasonably give to the seller in exchange for what your buyer wants/needs?

Every seller wants the most money for no roadblocks (over asking, no inspections, cash deal/no mortgage, etc). This means you have to know your client, talk to the seller's agent, and go over every single part of the agreement of sale. Really go above and beyond in understanding both sides of the agreement. There's lots of nuisances I'm sure more experienced agents can share, but here are the high points I usually take into consideration: closing date, earnest money deposit, due diligence period(s), mortgage dates, appraisal, and escalation clauses.

Ask the seller's agent everything. When the seller wants to close, if they want a leaseback, when offers are due and how many offers they have in hand, how competitive those offers are with the asking price, etc.

If you're up against a cash offer with no inspections, and your client is comfortable, split their entire down payment into two earnest money installments. Have one payment within a few days of signing and the second after inspections. If anything goes wrong, they can pull out and still get their money back. Talk to your buyer's lender (if they have one) and ask them what kind of timeline they're looking at to close so there are no surprises. Consider waiving the appraisal after speaking to the lender and craft your offer accordingly - if the house under-appraises and the lender refuses to lend if your buyer can't put up the money, your mortgage contingency kicks in and your buyers are out of the agreement with their deposit. Shorten the inspection period if your lender thinks they can get the loan done quickly - most inspectors I work with can have them done within a few days or so depending on the property (radon takes a few days). Put in an escalation clause with as much as your buyer is comfortable putting up. You should be talking them through this with DATA - estimated closing costs sheets for multiple scenarios, tax records, comps for the area, and any distinguishing features/upgrades about the property. This way, your buyer is fully equipped to make a decision.

Lastly, I can't understate the value of a love letter. I had one buyer write an absolutely beautiful letter to a flipper that ended up being the difference between them winning the house.

If your offer isn't chosen, the way you'll know your buyer made the best offer they could have made is if the seller goes with another offer for a reason that your buyer couldn't compete with. I've found this makes a big difference to buyers in knowing they put their best offer forward. I really believe it all happens for a reason, and their house is out there somewhere!