I'd agree with your synopsis Red.
Under AH the Owner only cares about the selling price being above their mortgage - even 1 Euro above is sufficient for them to walk away with no liabilities (bar transaction costs).
Yes every seller would ideally seak to maximise their selling price, however in the current environment anyone who bought a home since 2006 (5,4?) is probably in negative equity. The owner of the AH home has the advantage of not really caring until such time as the price falls below that of their mortgage. They therefore have freedom of movement within the market, exactly as Red describes, which ordinary buyers in the same development do not.