prospective buyer = amateur extortionists

Why do people try to take advantage of you just because they can? Apparently when you are trying to sell your house the term "seller" in the contracts must have extremely fine print that states that "said owners of house in question will serve as 'whipping boy' for the duration of all negotiations between parties". I'm starting to think that maybe this offer was too good to be true. According to our realtor, either we cough up for what they want or they walk away and we look like the jerks who wouldn't cooperate. Basically they want money and since we won't just fork it over, they've trumped up a list of things we "won't fix" - which again, in the hidden real estate water-mark means "we're not willing to bend over and take it". If anyone else would like to demand large sums of money in exchange for nothing legitimate, the line is forming on our front lawn.