Ok to answer your question re; "Could this mean that "deals" done in the past have fallen over?" - the simple answer to that is NO!
Properties are marketed to a specific time and budget and even if you do have a deal "in the bag", the marketing campaign still continues.
Who knows - a better offer may pop up out of the woodwork so you never exclude or limit yourself as a vendor; and the prospective purchaser keeps his level of interest up too because he thinks that there may be other expressions of interest on the table.
Cheers, Pie :)
CNP Price at posting:
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