Redfin

JULY 10, 2025

When buying a home, understanding earnest money vs. due diligence is key. Earnest money is a refundable deposit held in escrow to show your serious intent to buy, while due diligence fees are usually non-refundable payments made directly to the seller to secure time for inspections and evaluations.

Due diligence

Redfin

MARCH 18, 2025

When buying a home, youll likely come across the term earnest money – a deposit that shows the seller youre serious about the purchase. But what actually happens to that money once the deal closes? What is earnest money? So, can you get earnest money back at closing?

Closing

Redfin

JULY 11, 2025

This good-faith payment, typically 1% to 3% of the purchase price, is held in escrow and applied to your down payment or closing costs if the sale goes through. That means if the sale is completed, the money is not refunded – it’s credited toward what you owe. When is earnest money refundable?

Earnest money deposit

Redfin

JULY 21, 2025

Backing out without cause may result in losing your earnest money deposit. The best and least complicated time to walk away from a home purchase is before signing the purchase agreement. Sale of current home contingency: Gives buyers time to sell their existing property before closing.

Earnest money deposit

Redfin

JUNE 27, 2025

These can greatly affect both the quality of your purchase and your bottom-line expense. Whether you’re purchasing your first home in Phoenix, AZ or in Trenton, NJ , here’s what you need to know before starting the homebuying process. Don’t skip critical steps like the home inspection or negotiating closing costs.

Pre-approval

Redfin

JULY 9, 2025

Whether you’re purchasing your first home or need a refresher, understanding each step in the home buying process timeline can help you avoid surprises and feel more confident along the way. Are you looking at homes for sale in Juneau, AK or Miami, FL ? There are many steps involved, each with its own timeline.

Pre-approval

Rochester Real Estate

NOVEMBER 5, 2015

Your Housing Budget The purchase price of the home shouldn’t be your only consideration. But if you have a down payment of 20% or more of the purchase price, you can avoid expenses like private mortgage insurance and should benefit from a lower interest rate. (585) 704-7095 Contact Now Search Homes Home Fair Housing S.O.P.

Purchase and sale agreement

Redfin

MARCH 26, 2025

This protective clause in your purchase agreement can save you thousands if your mortgage falls through, but in todays competitive market, some buyers are tempted to waive it. Quick answer: A financing contingency gives buyers a way to walk away from the deal and keep their deposit if their loan application is denied.

Finance

Redfin

JUNE 30, 2025

Key takeaways: In most home purchases, the buyer’s agent delivers the offer to the seller’s agent, who then presents it to the seller If you don’t have an agent, you must submit the offer yourself—ideally with help from a real estate attorney. A real estate offer is a formal, written proposal to purchase a home. How is the offer sent?

Earnest money deposit

Redfin

MARCH 7, 2025

Since the home inspection is primarily for the buyer’s benefit, ensuring the property is in good condition before finalizing the sale, the buyer usually covers the cost. One of the most common questions that come up during this phase is: who pays for the home inspection? What is a home inspection? Who pays for the home inspection?

Inspection

HomeLight

JANUARY 10, 2024

Most purchase agreements are contingent on two key items: home inspection and financing. In the world of real estate, a contingent offer on a home means that the purchase is conditional upon certain terms being met. Most purchase agreements are contingent on which two items? What does this mean to a buyer?

Earnest money deposit

HomeLight

MARCH 7, 2024

But what happens if you’re now facing the decision of submitting a buyer cancellation of the purchase agreement? In this guide, we’ll break down what you need to know about buyer cancellation of a purchase agreement. What is a home purchase agreement?

Purchase and sale agreement

HomeLight

DECEMBER 12, 2023

A common worry among homebuyers is to find the perfect house, put down a deposit with an accepted offer, and then learn that your mortgage application is denied — you lose both the house and your earnest money. The most experienced agents know how to safeguard your earnest money and time.

Earnest money deposit

Realty Biz

MAY 24, 2022

We decided to sell our house as “for sale by owner” to save the agent’s commission. Both the buyer and we signed a generic purchase agreement. I don’t know what is in your generic purchase agreement. You did get an earnest money deposit, didn’t you? Answer: Hello Shelly.

Earnest money deposit

HomeLight

JUNE 23, 2022

If you need assistance navigating the legalities of keeping earnest money from a real estate transaction, HomeLight always encourages you to reach out to your own advisor. What is earnest money? Earnest money is often referred to as a “good faith” deposit.

Earnest money deposit

Realty Biz

JULY 17, 2022

Kick-Out Clause vs. Home Sale Contingency. When the real estate market favors sellers home sale contingencies almost become extinct. In hot markets there would never be a need for a seller to even considered a home sale clause. Most real estate agents would laugh at the thought of seeing an offer with a home sale contingency.

Home sale contingency

Redfin

JANUARY 26, 2022

One of these important pieces of paperwork is a purchase and sale agreement. . To help you navigate this document, we’ll go over what a purchase and sale agreement is, what makes up the agreement, and what happens after the agreement is signed. What is a purchase and sale agreement?

Purchase and sale agreement

HomeLight

AUGUST 11, 2023

Now that you have a purchase offer in hand, you’re in the home stretch, so to speak, of selling your house — but don’t sign the paperwork or pop the champagne just yet. Find a top real estate agent near you We analyze millions of home sales to find real estate agents that sell homes faster and for more money.

Earnest money deposit

HomeLight

JANUARY 19, 2024

But it can also tilt a sale in your favor. You can then make a strong offer on your next home with no home sale contingency. A mortgage contingency is a clause found in most home purchase agreements that safeguards the buyer. Sometimes, outbidding other buyers isn’t an option.

Earnest money deposit

HomeLight

JUNE 29, 2022

Before you post the “for sale” sign in your front yard, it’s important to prepare yourself for a critical part of the home-selling process : negotiating with buyers. Here are nine expert house negotiation tactics to help you on your way to a successful sale. Making enough money off the sale to fund the downpayment on a new home.

Earnest money deposit

Realty Biz

FEBRUARY 20, 2021

Given they are significant legal terms in a purchase and sale, it is essential to have a strong working knowledge of how they work. Some of these clauses can benefit you when purchasing a home, so we will look at some of the contingency clauses you might encounter when buying a property. Contingencies in Real Estate Explained.

Purchase and sale agreement

Realty Biz

AUGUST 22, 2022

In a few short weeks, the market has gotten much softer in this neighborhood and I’m not even sure the house will appraise for my purchase offer. I’m thinking this could be my way to get out of the purchase agreement so that I can wait a few more months until prices come down further. It seemed like it was too good to be true.

Purchase and sale agreement

HomeLight

OCTOBER 1, 2020

But for some buyers, that excitement can quickly turn to anxiety when it comes time to sign the purchase contract. Will you lose your deposit? Once you and the seller sign the purchase agreement, things start to get real. There are four common buyer contingencies: financing, appraisal , inspection, and home sale.

Earnest money deposit

HomeLight

JANUARY 3, 2024

Sometimes you come across a home for sale that checks off every box on your list, but the listing status says that it’s “under contract” or “sale pending.” In most cases, there are contingencies in the buyer’s offer that need to be cleared before the transaction is moved to the more solid “sale pending” status.

Purchase and sale agreement

HomeLight

JULY 12, 2024

You can then make a strong offer on your next home with no home sale contingency. This ensures that both the buyer and the seller fulfill their respective obligations before the sale is finalized. During the escrow period, several key activities take place to ensure the home sale stays on track.

Purchase and sale agreement

HomeLight

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

The seller will either accept your offer (in which case it becomes your purchase agreement ), or will counter your offer (you can accept or counter again), or the seller could also flatly decline. No sales contingency? Make sure your agent stresses that your offer doesn’t contain a sales contingency.

Earnest money deposit

HomeLight

MARCH 20, 2023

That means a large majority of homebuyers must consider the sale of their current home prior to buying a new one. Most often, this type of scenario calls for a home sale contingency. Find a Buyer's Agent What is a home sale contingency? Thus, the purchase agreement is “contingent” on the sale of the buyer’s existing home.

Home sale contingency

Dwell Real Estate

JULY 10, 2020

The earnest money deposit—the cash you as a buyer offer to essentially call dibs on real estate—is one of the most important (and often misunderstood) parts of the home-buying process. In the Sarasota area, home buyers will usually put down anywhere from 1 to 5 of the real estate purchase price as earnest money. (If

Earnest money deposit

Easy Agent Pro

SEPTEMBER 5, 2023

Carefully consider factors like inventory levels, average sale prices, and average days on the market before making decisions. Offering a Higher Earnest Money Deposit An earnest money deposit is a good faith deposit that demonstrates your seriousness and commitment to the purchase.

Earnest money deposit

Dwell Real Estate

JULY 10, 2020

The earnest money deposit—the cash you as a buyer offer to essentially call dibs on real estate—is one of the most important (and often misunderstood) parts of the home-buying process. In the Sarasota area, home buyers will usually put down anywhere from 1% to 5% of the real estate purchase price as earnest money. (If

Earnest money deposit

Realtor.com

OCTOBER 29, 2020

Most purchase agreements have contingencies —things that buyers must do before the real estate transaction is official, explains Jimmy Branham , a Coral Springs, FL, real estate agent at the Keyes Company. If something is wrong, you can request that it be fixed—or you can back out of the sale. Clear the title.

Closing

Point2Homes

NOVEMBER 29, 2022

The earnest money deposit. However, since a real estate transaction is rarely as straightforward as sending the seller the agreed amount of money and getting the deeds in return, using escrow is strongly recommended. An escrow account lets the buyer show the seller they’re serious about the purchase. Title checks.

Earnest money deposit

HomeLight

JULY 26, 2022

Is it a yard sale? No…it’s a for sale sign!!! A “for sale by owner,” or FSBO (pronounced “fizz-bo”) home, is a home that is being sold by its owner who hasn’t hired a listing agent. A “for sale by owner,” or FSBO (pronounced “fizz-bo”) home, is a home that is being sold by its owner who hasn’t hired a listing agent.

Earnest money deposit

Realty Biz

DECEMBER 5, 2022

The home inspection contingency in a real estate contract allows the buyer to back out of the sale when there are issues. The buyer can have their earnest money deposit returned when this happens. The buyer can have their earnest money deposit returned when this happens.

Inspection

Realty Biz

APRIL 17, 2023

You must put up an earnest money deposit when you buy a home. The purpose of earnest money is to show you're serious about buying. Many people refer to earnest money as a good-faith deposit. We will look at some of the most common ways a buyer's earnest money is refundable.

Earnest money deposit

Realty Biz

MARCH 27, 2022

When you have a lot of competition from buyers to get to the under agreement stage with a seller, there isn’t much chance of success with a lowball offer. Offer a Larger Earnest Money Deposit. Your earnest money is a way of showing the seller that you are a serious buyer. Make a Strong Bid.

Purchase and sale agreement

HomeLight

NOVEMBER 29, 2021

Most purchase agreements have some terms in place that must be met for the deal to go through, such as having a home inspection completed. These are called contingencies, and they’re very common in a real estate sales contract. These are called contingencies, and they’re very common in a real estate sales contract.

Purchase and sale agreement