5 Common Home Offer Contingencies

by Judy Szablak 06/02/2019

Contingency in real estate means an agreement of sale that must take place to continue the transaction. There are numbers of options that buyers can include in their contracts. Below are five common home offer contingencies to consider:

Inspection contingencies

Inspections are of great benefit in the process of buying a home. They enable the buyer to know the exact condition of the property. Most home buyers know inspections cover the general examination of all the systems of the home as well as checking the interior and the exterior. Apart from that, there are other inspections like checking for damages from wood-destroying insects. The inspection contingency comes into play once all the necessary checking is complete.

Financing contingencies 

Financing contingency is essential if you are buying your apartment through a mortgage. Financing contingency gives you the opportunity and time to apply for home purchase financing. The financing contingency states that if you are unable to secure a loan for the purchase of your home, you are eligible to look for other alternative means or you back out from the sale. 

Appraisal contingency 

Appraisal contingency and financial contingency work hand in hand. One of the requirements for granting a loan by most mortgage companies is a satisfactory appraisal. Do not forget that the evaluation is what shows the fair market value of a property. Therefore, an appraisal contingency is significant because it protects you in a situation where the sales price is not at par with the fair market value.

Home sale contingencies 

The home sale contingency is the favorite among property buyers. This contingency gives you a specified period to locate a buyer for your home. If this is not achievable within the stipulated time, you have the privilege of abandoning the sales without anything happening to your money. However, this contingency is not popular among sellers, so not often practiced.

Title contingencies 

Title contingency is also significant in real estate investment. A title to the home is a record that gives information about the ownership of a property. It is a legal document that indicates the people that have owned a property in the past and present. Apart from that, it also gives a record of any judgment made in the past regarding the property.

Be sure to read up and educate yourself on various contingencies that could apply to your sale agreement, so you always have protection. Let your real estate professional advise you about appropriate contingencies to accept and ones to avoid.

About the Author
Author

Judy Szablak

With over 30 years in the industry, Realtor Judy Szablak has been on national television for her real estate expertise on the HGTV Network, featured on Martha Stewart Living Radio "Morning Living” , NPR radio as an expert real estate panelist, It’s Relevant News channel, and quoted in the Wall Street Journal for her in depth knowledge of Fairfield County Connecticut real estate.

She was also on the local NPR radio station (WSHU) as a Fairfield County CT real estate expert. Judy has provided multiple online respected news sources with her real estate expertise including The Daily Easton, The Daily Weston, The Daily Fairfield, The Daily Stamford and The Daily Greenwich, as well as in print in the New York Post. She is a weekly Real Estate Columnist for WestportNow.com, another real estate column "Real Estate With Judy” is syndicated through Hearst CT Media Online and seen in The Connecticut Post, The Danbury News-Times, The Stamford Advocate, The Greenwich Time, The Hour, Fairfield Citizen, Westport News, Darien News, New Canaan News and the Wilton Villager.

 Judy is also the author of the book, The Art of Buying or Selling a Home, available at all major book retailers. Additionally, Judy has been nationally recognized in a number of national real estate trade magazines, some with distribution to over 1 million members. She was featured in Real Estate Today as early as 1994 for her commitment to, and implementation of technology in real estate. Judy appeared in the Certified Residential Specialist Magazine, as she provided advice on marketing strategies and ethics in the article titled "Marketing Makeovers.”

 Judy was also featured in REALTOR® Magazine, regarding image enhancement for Realtors. She was again featured in REALTOR® Magazine, in an article on "Achieving Flow” and operating at optimal peak performance. In another article in the same publication, Judy offered guidance to fellow real estate professionals as she explored the topic of implementing and maintaining personal websites. She has appeared in The Council of Residential Specialists Magazine, which featured her ideas regarding technology. Additionally, Judy authored an article on marketing and technology for the Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) Online Magazine. On two occasions, in 2015 and 2017, she appeared as a featured agent in Top Agent Magazine. I have a few other websites- www.TheCtrealtyBlog.com www.CtHomesAndRealEstate.com www.BestWestportHomes.com www.ThePetitePowerhouse.com www,SzablakConsulting.com