Redfin

JULY 11, 2025

These protections usually come in the form of contingencies , which are clauses that allow you to walk away from the sale without penalty if certain conditions aren’t met. If this happens and they’ve included the right contingency, the buyer can usually walk away with their earnest money deposit.

Earnest money deposit

Redfin

JUNE 27, 2025

If major repairs are needed, you may be able to use the inspection report to negotiate repairs or a lower purchase price. If no agreement is reached and you have an inspection contingency, you can cancel the sale without penalty and get your earnest money back. How much money do I need to buy a home?

Pre-approval

Redfin

JULY 10, 2025

You back out due to a contingency → you get your earnest money back Most purchase agreements include contingencies that let you cancel without losing earnest money. Inspection contingency: If inspections reveal major problems and you back out within the agreed timeframe, you get your earnest money refunded.

Due diligence

Redfin

MARCH 7, 2025

For example, a buyer who skips the inspection to make their offer more competitive may later discover costly issues like a leaking roof or faulty wiring. By including an inspection contingency, the buyer can either negotiate for repairs or exit the deal without financial loss, avoiding unexpected expenses down the road.

Inspection

Redfin

JULY 9, 2025

Decide on important terms like earnest money deposits, contingencies (inspection, financing), and closing dates that can make your offer stand out. Review the results of the inspection carefully because many states hold a buyer responsible for investigating issues found during the inspection.

Pre-approval

Rochester Real Estate

NOVEMBER 5, 2015

If your offer is accepted, you will sign a purchase agreement and pay an earnest money deposit. Home Inspection The home inspection will show if this is a property you want to buy. If major issues are highlighted in the inspection report, you can negotiate with the seller over repairs, or they could credit you.

Purchase and sale agreement

Rochester Real Estate

NOVEMBER 5, 2015

When a home seller gets an offer that doesn’t have a home inspection contingency to complete the sale, they often jump on it. They don’t want you to lose your earnest money deposit either. Not all sellers are ethical in their behaviors either.

Inspection

Housing Wire

SEPTEMBER 9, 2024

Like with the amount of earnest money deposit or including an inspection contingency, the amount the buyer is asking the seller to pay her agent is a term that impacts the strength of the offer,” Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather said in a statement.

Earnest money deposit

HomeLight

JANUARY 26, 2024

For this reason, most contracts contain an inspection contingency clause. But what happens if the inspection contingency expires? If this contingency period lapses before you’ve finalized your decisions, will you lose your deposit? Get Started How does an inspection contingency work?

Inspection contingency

HomeLight

JANUARY 10, 2024

Understanding these contingencies is crucial as they play a significant role in the homebuying process. Home inspection contingency This contingency allows you, as the buyer, to have the property professionally inspected within a specified timeframe. What does this mean to a seller?

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

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

These are the most common contingencies that are part of your new home closing process: Home inspection contingency: This gives buyers the right to have the home professionally inspected. It’s rarely advisable to waive an inspection contingency.

Closing

HomeLight

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

Determine how much earnest money to offer. An earnest money deposit (also called a “good faith deposit”) is money that accompanies your offer and communicates your seriousness to the seller. The customary amount to put down as an earnest money deposit will vary based on your market.

Earnest money deposit

HomeLight

JANUARY 3, 2024

To fully understand what “under contract” means, let’s take a look at some of the contingencies that might be attached to such a listing. There are four common types of real estate contract contingencies.

Purchase and sale agreement

Realty Biz

FEBRUARY 20, 2021

The home buying contingencies below should be completely understood before signing on the dotted line of a purchase and sale agreement. Home inspection: often called a due diligence contingency, will give the buyer rights to have the house inspected. Most buyers will have a home inspection contingency in their contract.

Purchase and sale agreement

HomeLight

JANUARY 12, 2024

They are essentially clauses in your purchase agreement that are designed to protect you from unforeseen issues, like problems unearthed during a home inspection or difficulties securing financing. What is a loan contingency?

Loan contingency

Realty Biz

DECEMBER 5, 2022

How to Negotiate Problems Found at a House Inspection. What Will Happen After a Home Inspection? 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.

Inspection

HomeLight

OCTOBER 1, 2020

You now have skin in the game in the form of your earnest money deposit, plus you have a legal duty to buy the home (barring certain circumstances). According to the latest data from the Realtors Confidence Index (RCI), 76% of purchase contracts contain contingencies , and around 7% of contracts are terminated.

Earnest money deposit

HomeLight

SEPTEMBER 22, 2020

260,000 offer with financing and inspection contingency, 60-day close. 248,000 offer with all contingencies waived, 30-day close. 250,000 offer with financing and inspection contingency, largest earnest money deposit , 60-day close. So, which one is the best offer?

Earnest money deposit

Norada Real Estate

APRIL 15, 2023

Home Inspection Contingency One of the most common contingencies that can affect the length of the under-contract period is the home inspection contingency. This contingency allows the buyer to have the home inspected and negotiate repairs or credits with the seller.

Earnest money deposit

Realtor.com

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

” Why people are waiving home inspections during the COVID-19 era. Offers that waive a home inspection contingency can be more attractive to home sellers since there’s less likelihood that the buyers will find some expensive problem that they’ll demand is fixed before they move forward.

Inspection

HomeLight

JULY 26, 2022

When you make an offer, be sure to include any contingencies that you want fulfilled. Common contingencies include, but aren’t limited to: Inspection contingency. Appraisal contingency. Financing contingency. Home sale contingency. Final walkthrough contingency. Title contingency.

Earnest money deposit

RIS Media

MAY 19, 2021

Not all sales will have contingencies with them, but most will. Common real estate contingencies include the following: Inspection Contingencies. The most common contingency is the home inspection contingency. Buyers need to keep track of their mortgage contingency to make sure it doesn’t lapse.

Purchase and sale agreement

Realty Biz

APRIL 20, 2022

Let’s look at the most common contingencies in an offer and what they mean to buyers and sellers. Common Contingencies Found in an Offer to Purchase. Home Inspection Contingency. One of the most common terms in an offer is the home inspection contingency clause.

Purchase and sale agreement

HomeLight

OCTOBER 30, 2020

With cash, buyers are able to waive common contingencies, making the deal smoother and faster (not to mention sweeter for the seller). However, an inspection contingency will often be used by any buyer, whether they’re using financing or paying cash.

Closing

HomeLight

NOVEMBER 29, 2021

They might have terms that say they will receive their earnest money deposit back without any negative consequences. But in other cases, a seller could be protected because the terms were specific that the buyer would have to secure financing during the allotted time, or the buyer’s earnest money would be forfeit.

Purchase and sale agreement

HomeLight

MARCH 2, 2023

While it is not always recommended to completely waive contingencies to impress a seller, you might consider pairing down to just the inspection contingency and financing contingency to remain competitive. Negotiate repairs Remember that everything is negotiable.

Closing

Point2Homes

DECEMBER 23, 2021

Therefore, holding the buyer’s funds in escrow encourages them to continue with the deal because their money is at risk. Most likely, the buyer will then be expected to make an earnest money deposit fairly quickly, which will go into an escrow account until closing. Escrow Before You Buy.

Earnest money deposit

HomeLight

SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

While it is not always recommended to completely waive contingencies to impress a seller, you might consider pairing down to just the inspection contingency and financing contingency to remain competitive. Earnest money deposit amount. Contingencies: Financing, home inspection, and appraisal.

Earnest money deposit

HomeLight

SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

While it is not always recommended to completely waive contingencies to impress a seller, you might consider pairing down to just the inspection contingency and financing contingency to remain competitive. Earnest money deposit amount. Contingencies: Financing, home inspection, and appraisal.

Earnest money deposit

First Team Real Estate

AUGUST 8, 2021

Approximately 25% of all escrows fall through because of inspection contingencies, lending hiccups, appraisal surprises, and more. Will backup offers have to submit earnest money? Yes, backup offers are required to make an earnest money deposit. What does it mean when it says accepting backup offers?

Backup offer

HomeLight

MARCH 6, 2023

While it is not always recommended to completely waive contingencies to impress a seller, you might consider pairing down to just the inspection contingency and financing contingency to remain competitive. Negotiate repairs Remember that everything is negotiable.

Earnest money deposit

HomeLight

JULY 31, 2022

The template will include your offer price, down payment amount, earnest money deposit, contingencies, and desired closing date. Earnest money , also referred to as a “good faith deposit,” is an amount that a buyer agrees to pay the seller to indicate their seriousness about buying the property.

Earnest money deposit

Redfin

AUGUST 29, 2024

The offer letter will include details like your name, address, the price you want to pay, contingencies, and possibly, your earnest money deposit. What’s an earnest money deposit? An earnest money deposit is usually 1-3% of the purchase price but can vary by market.

Earnest money deposit

Realty Biz

NOVEMBER 11, 2020

If these contingencies aren’t met, the buyer can walk away from the deal. They will also get their earnest money deposit back , and the home will go back on the market. The home could be subject to a few different types of contingency. Home Inspection Contingency.

Backup offer

Realty Biz

AUGUST 22, 2022

I didn’t even include an inspection contingency. I’m almost certain that your biggest concern is about what will happen with your earnest money if you back out of the deal. As the buyer, you submit an earnest money deposit when you make an offer on a home. Now I have buyer’s regret.

Purchase and sale agreement