In negotiating, be it a house, or whatever, you never show your hand and let the other side know you want something so much they can use that to their advantage.. From a business point of view, IF they are negotiating with a high school kid, I would DEF use the fact I can go a "proven" college kid route or any other comp that give me an advantage for equal dollars etc... Or to sum it up, I would def myself, and I can see why any smart business guy would leak or allow the perception that their is competition and they are willing to go elsewhere.