REO Offers -- How To Form
Is there a particular way that your offer has to be formed to send for an REO contract?
I have read in some posts where you have to send a check to cover the deposit for the contract even before you get the contract agreed upon by the bank. If they decline your offer, do they simply return your check to you? How does this work?
I have a house I'm looking at that is REO and being listed by a local agent. What are my chances of getting some form of assignability clause in that contract? 
CentralFL33896
Your first key is to ask the lender how they accept offers.
Is this a government REO?
What is it's MV?
What amount did they take it back for?
Details will help in your success.
You can submit any type contract/offer you want. The majority of the time the bank will counter with their contract.
When you put an offer on a REO, you have to have earnest money and proof of financing. Your money is returned if your offer is not accepted.
I have never seen an assignable contract for a REO.
I've been working as an REO asset manager for over 7 years. If the property is already listed with a local agent, you bascially have to deal with them and just submit an offer. If you find an REO that's not on the market yet, find out what bank it's with and try to contact the REO regional manager and inform them that you want to submit an offer. Somtimes they'll tell you what they want for it because that saves them from paying out commission to the listing agent, but most of the time they will tell you that you'll have to submit an offer to the listing agent when it's listed.