Unusual, yes. Implausible, no, and there is often a logical explanation. If your offer asked the seller to cover buyer-agent compensation beyond what they had budgeted, the seller may have raised the price to build that cost into the deal rather than pay it out of pocket. A counter above asking that offers less toward your agent can simply be the seller repricing around the compensation you requested. Buyer-agent compensation is negotiable and spelled out in your buyer representation agreement, and how it gets paid (by you, through a seller concession, or built into the price) varies deal by deal. The other honest possibility is simpler: the seller or their agent did not think the counter through. On timing, a listing active only a few weeks is a short stretch, even with no other offers yet. Whether a wait signals a soft market depends entirely on what is normal for that area and price point, and buyers who assume any wait means the seller must cave are often wrong. Counter back on your own terms and let the numbers guide you, not the drama.