Short sale listing agent sitting on 'verbally accepted' offer? (mortgage, mortgage, agreement)

[TC Buyer]

Hello I made an offer on a short sale September 1st 2016 and got an email response back saying that my offer was accepted by the seller. The listing agent has yet to send me North Carolina offer to purchase agreement signed by the seller. He doesn't return my phone calls. Question does an email from the listing agent stating acceptance constitute a binding agreement? He did foward me over a copy of the first offer that was accepted and the seller did not sign until the lien holder agreed on the agreement. Is this standard practice on a short sale? Thanks.

[LeaninBack916]

Went through this same bs.

They are stringing you along. They havent got the hard copy but dont want you to back out.

Thats why they do this. It ended up working out for me because our market was so wild it was worth it for me but I can tell you it sounds EXACTLY what the seller agent told my agent....

[Okey Dokie]

Taking you literally, that the seller (current owner) has accepted your offer in a short sale means little to nothing. It's the bank who holds the mortgage who holds all the cards here.

You can offer me $10,000 for my house, but if the bank who holds my mortgage doesn't agree, it isn't ever going to get done.

[FalconheadWest]

The bank needs to be sent a fully executed contract. They won't take anything serious unless there's a contract with a ready, willing, and able buyer on one end with a seller who has signed the offer into a contract on the other end.