Bank Counteroffers - Who Are They Kidding?

Thinking of making an offer on a bank-owned property?  When you submit the offer, the bank will invariably respond with a "counteroffer."  In nearly every case, this will not be a counteroffer at all, but a complete re-writing of the purchase agreement with nearly every provision tweaked in favor of the bank.  Be especially wary of counteroffers that have you agreeing to give up your loan or inspection contingencies--unless you are certain about getting your loan or willing to accept the property "as is", you could lose your deposit money.  Another bank "counteroffer" tactic is have you agree to use some out-of-town escrow officer; then soon into escrow you get the disquieting sense that this this escrow officer is acting more like an agent for the bank than a neutral third party.  Bottom line:  Make sure you read and understand the counteroffer!  If it has unacceptable terms and the bank won't revise them, move on!