What Is A Contingent Offer? What It Means When Buying A Home
A contingent offer means that an offer on a new home has been made and the seller has accepted it, but that the final sale is contingent upon certain criteria that have to be met. These criteria, or types of contingencies, are clauses in a sales contract that typically fall under three major categories: appraisal, home inspection, and mortgage approval.
Such contingencies are mainly put in place so that buyers can back out of a real estate sale if something goes wrong, usually without losing their earnest money deposit. A seller might entertain other offers after a refusal, but won’t deal with another buyer until the contingent offer is settled in one way or another.