Trying to Figure Out What a Potential Buyer is Thinking
We bought a commercial property (2000 sq ft office complex a parking lot) in early 2017.  The business didn't work out and we've been trying to sell it since February.

When we put in our offer, the selling agent told us another guy was interested in buying it, but they accepted our offer (whatever).  Our business didn't work out and we've put it back on the market.  The same guy approached our agent (he told the agent he had wanted to buy it when we did).  

Ever since (for the last 10 months) he has repeatedly told our agent he's interested, said he's going to arrange financing, vanished, then popped up again later and asked if he could come see it again and started over again from scratch.

We just switched to a new agent, and he's contacted our former agent to AGAIN try to start the process again (for like the 4th time).  We've never gotten an offer from him, he just asked for various concessions, which we've told him we're open to but we want a formal offer, then he disappears.

The former agents wrote us an e-mail and said "The strange part is he doesn't want to start the negotiating process, he'd prefer you make the first move."

Given that we've provided an asking price, we HAVE made the first move, and it seems like he just wants us to start negotiating against ourselves.

We're not expecting anything to materialize.  I responded and said " My perspective, as a layperson, is that we've already made the "first move" by giving an asking price.  I can't negotiate for both sides, so if he's interested, I kind of feel like he needs to make an offer of some sort.  If he needs a suggestion from me, $25k over asking would be my recommendation =).  Our current agent can convey our asking price / terms and if the buyer has his own number in mind, a formal offer would probably be the best way to proceed."

We aren't angry or anything, but what the heck could be going on with the buyer?  If he has any capacity to buy a building he's been interested in for 2 years, why wouldn't he just make an offer?  Is this some sort of negotiation strategy?  We previously would have considered offering him seller financing (which he asked about one time), but he's been so flaky there's no way I'd agree to that now.  Is he just acting like a big shot and pretending he's going to buy something he'd never be able to actually buy?  Why waste everyone's time?  Is he just a crazy dude?  
It honestly doesn't matter to us but he has me scratching my head.
[{"id": "eat5fkt", "text": "He\u2019s taking the VERY old school approach of \u201cwhat\u2019s your bottom dollar\u201d and then trying to negotiate from there. But he\u2019s wanting you to say it first which is an unusual wrinkle.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "eat6twn", "text": "He isn't for real.  List the property and that may shake him from the tree.  ", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "eat89op", "text": "Could be a cultural difference with the interested party. I\u2019ve had buyers do this dance because they don\u2019t want to hire their own broker. \n\nList on market. Submit an AIR offer to the interested party through your broker at asking price and with your preferred terms. If he\u2019s interested he will respond or counter. Don\u2019t hold up your listing hoping to shake an offer from him. If you get a bona fide offer from someone let interested party know and see if you can start a bid war. \n\nEither way, I would not be confident this person would perform in escrow. ", "replies": [{"id": "eatbcm0", "text": "What is an AIR offer?", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "eatlrhm", "text": "Hard to say what his issue is.  But realize that the whole process of the sale with this guy, should he ever start engaging at all, will be the same way: start, stop, start, stop ... it'll be endless.\n\nYou'll save yourself grief by listing like a normal seller would do.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "eau753c", "text": "He needs to put some money down or fuck off.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]