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The seller has the option to accept, reject or counter the contingent offer. In conclusion, how long does a house stay in contingent status for no time at all or as long as several months. Typically, though, a house is often in contingent status for about 20 to 30 days before switching to pending.
Navigating Offers with Contingencies
With a short sale, the seller owes more on the home than it’s worth (that is, they’re “coming up short”). These are complex transactions that require approval from the seller’s lender, so they can take months or even years to close. It’s unlikely that a short sale seller will be accepting backup offers. With pending status, a seller typically won’t take further offers on the home because the deal is nearly sealed.

What Does Contingent Mean in Real Estate?
Only 4% of real estate contracts in the spring of 2023 were terminated. So if you’re buying a house and see a listing that’s contingent, it’s likely going to be fully off the market soon. If you receive a contingent offer as a seller, statistically speaking, that deal is likely to still close. In general, contingent means “depending on certain circumstances.” In the world of real estate transactions, it means the sale depends on the contract’s contingencies being met.
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Can a Home Seller Under Contract Still Accept a Higher Offer? - Realtor.com News
Can a Home Seller Under Contract Still Accept a Higher Offer?.
Posted: Tue, 12 Jan 2021 12:18:21 GMT [source]
If the buyer can’t move forward, the seller “kicks them out” for the better deal. Buyers commonly use contingencies in real estate contracts to protect their interests. If a contingency can’t be met, the buyer is free to walk away with their deposit money intact. Ask your real estate agent to speak to the listing agent to find out if they are accepting backup offers at this stage of the game. Your agent should be able to get a feel for if the deal is expected to go through or not. If they are open to backup offers, have your agent inquire as to what their ideal offer is so you can make a competitive one.
What does under contract mean in real estate?
Since making an offer on an active contingent property requires careful consideration and strategic planning, your real estate agent can do some research and help you with this process. If you decide to accept an offer with a home sale contingency, negotiate the terms in your favor first by adding a kick-out clause. This clause states that you can continue marketing your home, and if you receive a better offer, you can cancel the contingent offer to pursue it. The seller has accepted an offer with contingencies, and has not set a deadline for them to be met.
What Is An Active Contingent Listing In Real Estate?

Ultimately, it depends on who you are in the real estate transaction. Buyers still shopping for homes may be pleased to see “contingent” on their dream home listing because it means the contract can still fall through, though it’s unlikely. Sellers can typically accept other offers at any point prior to both the buyer and seller signing the purchase agreement, though laws vary state by state. Adding contingencies can be risky, especially in a “hot” market where lots of home buying activity occurs.
Home sale
The contingency communicates that if the clause isn’t met, the buyer has the right to back out of the purchase. Quadwalls.com is a real estate website founded in Valparaiso, IN dedicated to helping home buyers and sellers make better decisions when buying and selling real estate. We do this by giving clear, honest information to our clients based on what we have learned by completing hundreds of home purchases and sales. A contingent on inspection contingency means the buyer will purchase the home so long as inspection of the property does not reveal any serious defects. Buyers often hire a home inspector to inspect the property to see if the seller failed to disclose any defects. The contingency is removed once the inspection is completed and either no defects are revealed or the seller agrees to repair items requested by the buyer.
Can you buy a contingent house depends on the contingency in place. Regardless, it may not be the best use of your time and emotional energy. Bank deposit accounts, such as checking and savings, may be subject to approval. Deposit products and related services are offered by JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. Member FDIC. Chase online lets you manage your Chase accounts, view statements, monitor activity, pay bills or transfer funds securely from one central place. For questions or concerns, please contact Chase customer service or let us know about Chase complaints and feedback.
Home Sale Contingency
Sometimes, a listing will go straight from active to pending — often when there’s an all-cash offer involved. When you accept a contingent offer, your agent will update your listing status to indicate that your home sale is in progress, but not yet final. Bear in mind, you can’t just ditch your first buyer the minute a higher offer comes in; the first contract would need to fall through legitimately before you accept a back-up offer. A contingent offer means that a seller has accepted an offer but hasn’t satisfied the buyer’s requirements to close the deal. Pending status means that an offer was accepted, and all contract contingencies are addressed, so the purchase is nearing completion.
It may also be helpful to know that the most common reasons for offers falling through last year were job losses on the part of buyers and issues arising from home inspections. Even though both parties agree on a sale price, the lender can’t offer you a mortgage that’s larger than what the home is appraised for. In a very overheated or rapidly changing real estate market, meeting that appraisal number can often be an issue, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. While a contingency can reduce the risk for a buyer, the seller might prefer that the offer comes with no contingencies to give themselves the best chance at actually selling their home. The buyer, of course, wants to make an offer that protects them by including contingencies.
When submitting an offer on a contingent house, keep in mind that you could end up with a more complicated home buying process. Depending on the situation, it may be advisable to include your own contingencies in your bid to protect your deposit. We recommend discussing all possible outcomes with your real estate agent before proceeding.
View today’s mortgage rates or calculate what you can afford with our mortgage calculator. We provide peace of mind that your home will sell, plus list your home on the market to maximize your earnings. Pending statuses also have subcategories, each with a different definition. Scrambling to find an available home inspector so late in the process can add unnecessary stress,” says broker Andrea Saturno-Sanjana of Coldwell Banker Warburg. Wostal recommends discussing these matters at length with your agent before following up in writing to ensure all parties are on the same page.
You found what might be your forever home but notice that it’s listed as “contingent” or “pending.” What does this mean? While both contingent and pending mean that the seller has accepted an offer, neither necessarily means an offer you make would be left out in the cold. Let’s explore what contingent vs. pending means for your homebuying journey and how you still might be able to purchase the home you’ve been eyeing. Sellers aren’t a big fan of sale contingencies, so they’ll often include a kick-out clause in the contract. That means the seller can continue to show the home and accept offers during the sale contingency period. If the seller gets a better offer, they’ll allow the original buyer 72 hours to drop the sale contingency and proceed with the deal.
If you wish to report an issue or seek an accommodation, please contact us at She also suggests touching base periodically to see if they’ve made progress on their home sale. This way, you maintain a positive relationship in case you decide to circle back to their offer.
Put simply, an accepted offer that has contingencies begins as contingent. An offer that is pending is much closer to closing than one that is contingent, so it’s usually not worth looking at pending listings. This means that the seller has accepted an offer with contingencies, but wants to continue showing the home to other potential buyers in case the offer falls through.
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