Wait them out. Be willing to walk away.
Watched a VA foreclosure drop in price $5K at a time. Once it hit $45 I offered $42,500. They countered at $44K. I didn't respond.
Two weeks later the asking price dropped to $40K.
If you want to have the most control/power, be willing to walk away. I also insist my realtor present my offer with the words "My client would like to pay XXXXX for this house".
I agree with this. There is a chance you could lose it when someone else jumps in, but that's the chance you take.
A cash buyer is also in a stronger position than someone needing a loan, so make that known if that is the case. You can close much quicker.
My experience with realtors is they don't work real hard to get you a deal. Their primary effort is to get you to agree to the price (or something real close) so they can close and collect commission.