Stephen, In this situation, I would actually recommend the strategy of Asking an Open-Ended Question (http://everyonenegotiates.com/negotiation-open-ended-question.php). Here is what I would say to the seller’s agent: “You have told me over and over that the seller will accept nothing less than a full price offer. My client is not willing to make at offer at that price. It sounds like we don’t have a reason to continue this conversation. What do you recommend we do?”

Yesterday I again encountered an agent employing this tactic. She repeated the over and over that the seller was not going to move out of her house for less than full price and for several other reasons. I found myself tuning out and not listening to the other agent. I waited patiently for her to broker record to end and jumped in trying to change the subject onto another aspect of the deal. She again returned to the broker record statements she was making about the sellers situation – as if she said it over and over again that I would somehow side with her – which I cannot since I work for the buyer in this situation.

Today when I spoke with her about a counter offer, she started up on her broken record about what the seller will and will not do. I came here to find a counter-tactic to her broken record. I read “I Feel Your Pain” and I think I understand how to implement the tactic the next time I speak with her during the course of this negotiation.