--- title: "Earnest money buyer guide: an agent website brief" description: "Specify an earnest-money page with dated contract sources, deposit and receipt questions, lender handoffs, and a tested buyer inquiry route." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/earnest-money-agent-buyer-guide" --- ## Site navigation - [Scale With Search](https://scalewithsearch.com/) - Services - Services - [AI systems](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-systems) - [Site build](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#site-build) - [Whole website fix](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#whole-website-fix) - [Content library with SEO](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#content-library) - [Working session](https://scalewithsearch.com/audit) - Start here - [Send your brief](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#send-your-brief) - [Example scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#review-the-example-scope) - [Prices and terms](https://scalewithsearch.com/work#prices-and-terms) - Industries - Real estate - [Real estate agents and teams](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate) - [Platforms, ownership, and IDX](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-platforms-ownership-idx) - [Search, content, and AI](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-search-content-ai) - [Inquiries, campaigns, and handoffs](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-inquiries-campaigns-handoffs) - [Buyer, seller, and local pages](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-buyer-seller-local-resources) - [Rules, privacy, and trust](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate/real-estate-website-rules-privacy-trust) - Browse by business - [Trades and home services](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-trades) - [Health, wellness, and animal care](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-practices) - [Law, finance, and IT](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-professional) - [Marketing and SEO agencies](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-agencies) - [Shops and manufacturers](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-manufacturing) - [Restaurants, shops, studios, and nonprofits](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/#group-local-services) - Chiropractic practices - [Chiropractic and wellness practices](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-wellness-practices) - [Chiropractic and physical therapy clinics](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/chiropractic-and-physical-therapy-clinics) - [All industries](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/) - Resources - Free tools - [AI readiness check](https://scalewithsearch.com/check) - [Free tools](https://scalewithsearch.com/tools/) - [Free Starter Kit](https://scalewithsearch.com/kit/business-memory-starter-kit.zip) - Guides - [AI-native library](https://scalewithsearch.com/ai-native) - [Industry intelligence](https://scalewithsearch.com/intelligence) - [Office job guides](https://scalewithsearch.com/guides/) - [Business memory](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/business-memory-for-ai-agents-guide) - [Agent governance](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/ai-agent-governance-guide-small-business) - [Migration and ownership](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/leaving-vendor-ai-memory-guide) - Articles - [All articles](https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/) - [What changed](https://scalewithsearch.com/changes/) - About - Evidence - [Proof](https://scalewithsearch.com/proof) - Scale With Search - [About](https://scalewithsearch.com/about) - [How it works](https://scalewithsearch.com/how-it-works) # What is earnest money? Brief a buyer guide for your agent website Earnest money is the deposit on a home purchase sales contract. Fannie Mae uses that definition in its lending guidance. [Fannie Mae earnest-money guidance, dated 2022.05.04; checked 2026.10.13](https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/sel/b3-4.3-09/earnest-money-deposit). Build your agent website's explanation around that deposit, the applicable contract form, proof of receipt, and the questions a buyer should confirm. Give the reader a way to ask about their purchase without sending money or financial records through the website. This is a page brief for an agent. The layout, worksheet, and inquiry checks below are editorial recommendations. Rules and programs vary by state and change. Confirm local contract wording with your broker or attorney, and financing requirements with the buyer's lender or applicable program. ## Give the deposit page a defined job Use a heading such as “What is earnest money in our homebuying process?” Follow the definition with your service area, reviewed sources, and buyer contact route. Make the explanation readable without registration. The competing [Crawford Willis Group earnest-money article](https://www.crawfordwillisgroup.com/blog/what-is-earnest-money-how-does-it-work/) covers deposit amounts, holding funds, closing treatment, and possible refund situations. Its local context is Auburn and Opelika. Checked 2026.10.13. For your own page, require a documented connection from each explanation to its source and the person who confirms it. Leave the competitor's percentages and refund examples out of your brief. Prepare wording for the contracts and market your brokerage serves. Keep this resource focused on buyer deposit preparation. Leave seller offer selection, seller contingency comparisons, and rent-back arrangements with their separate pages. Offer a buyer consultation route beside the guide, with an identified recipient. ## Name the source form before explaining local terms Ask your broker to identify the applicable purchase contract, edition, jurisdiction, and any relevant addenda. Record the official issuing source and review date. Ask an attorney to confirm explanations that require legal interpretation. Texas supplies a concrete example of why form scope belongs beside a link. TREC identifies its One to Four Family Residential Contract (Resale), Form 20-19, as effective 2026.07.01. Its description excludes condominium transactions, builder sales of new homes, and farm or ranch properties. [TREC's official form page, checked 2026.10.13](https://www.trec.texas.gov/forms/one-four-family-residential-contract-resale). Use that example to specify a source record. Apply the Texas form only after your broker confirms it fits the transaction. For another state or property type, supply the appropriate reviewed source before publishing its explanation. | Subject for the local guide | Evidence to request from the reviewer | Question the page should help a buyer ask | | --- | --- | --- | | Deposit amount | Applicable form and proposed transaction terms | Where is the amount recorded, and who confirms it? | | Recipient and delivery | Relevant provision and approved transaction contact | Who receives the deposit, and how do I verify the instructions? | | Timing | Applicable provision, any amendment, and professional confirmation | Which date applies to this purchase? | | Receipt | Holder's approved receipt process | How do I obtain confirmation that funds were received? | | Return or release | Relevant provisions and broker or attorney explanation | What must be reviewed before anyone decides whether funds can be released? | | Closing treatment | Lender and closing professional's confirmation | Where will this deposit appear in the closing documents? | These are review prompts. They establish no national amount, deadline, or right to a refund. Publish a local refund answer only after the reviewer identifies its supporting provisions and qualifications. Avoid an automatic “inspection problem means refund” answer. Provide a contact route for unresolved contract questions. Keep transaction-specific instructions in your brokerage's approved process. ## Separate contract questions from lender documentation Explain the deposit's lending treatment with the scope of its source attached. Fannie Mae's cited guide treats the sales-contract deposit as an acceptable source for down payment and closing costs. That is Fannie Mae guidance. Have the lender confirm its application to the buyer's loan. [Fannie Mae, dated 2022.05.04; checked 2026.10.13](https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/sel/b3-4.3-09/earnest-money-deposit). For that program, the lender must verify an acceptable funding source when the deposit forms part of the borrower's minimum contribution. The same guidance requires receipt verification through a canceled check or a written statement from the deposit holder. [Fannie Mae's source and receipt requirements, dated 2022.05.04; checked 2026.10.13](https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/sel/b3-4.3-09/earnest-money-deposit). Keep the website's preparation questions short: which documents does this lender need, who receives them, and which private delivery method should the buyer use? Link the official guidance beside the explanation. Leave bank statements, check images, account details, and lender verification forms outside the public inquiry form. For the closing explanation, CFPB identifies the deposit within the Closing Disclosure's “Paid Already by or on Behalf of Borrower at Closing” section. [CFPB Closing Disclosure explainer, modified 2023.10.10; checked 2026.10.13](https://www.consumerfinance.gov/owning-a-home/closing-disclosure/). Use that reference to frame a question for the lender or closing professional. Ask them to confirm how the actual deposit appears. Avoid a website calculation that assumes every buyer's closing treatment is identical. ## Specify a preparation worksheet and distinguish the receipts Offer an optional printable worksheet with the same sources and review date as the public page. Leave amounts and personal dates blank. Ask the buyer to record information confirmed with the professionals handling the purchase. Propose fields for the contract name and version, deposit question, responsible professional, confirmed contact route, and outstanding task. Add a place to record whether the buyer has requested receipt confirmation. Keep the completed worksheet with the buyer. Label the website form confirmation **Question submitted**. Describe deposit receipt verification separately, using the lender-reviewed explanation and source above. Require distinct wording and records for those two events. Give the website builder no payment function in this page brief. Ask your brokerage to approve a signpost to the transaction contact for payment instructions. Maintain any fuller wire-fraud resource under its separate brief. ## Carry the buyer's question into the received inquiry Propose the button **Ask about preparing my earnest-money deposit**. Put the receiving agent or team beside it. Have that recipient approve the invitation before publication. Request a name, the chosen reply method, the market, and the question. Offer optional stage choices such as “Preparing to make an offer,” “Under contract,” and “Not sure.” Include “Other question” so the visitor can use their own wording. Use prompts for amount, timing, recipient, receipt, or closing treatment. Carry the originating page address and selected topic into the received message. Keep all of the visitor's question intact. Tell readers to contact their confirmed transaction professional directly for a current deadline or payment instruction. Keep private contracts and financial-document uploads outside this first inquiry route. Offer a separate seller contact only when it fits your stated services. After launch, compare received questions with the subjects your guide covers. Count visits, received inquiries, and later consultations separately. Record an unknown acquisition source as unknown. This page brief forecasts no inquiry volume or transaction result. ## Agree acceptance checks before building Give your builder the required sources, approved wording, worksheet, recipient, and inquiry destination. Require marked test submissions using contact details you control. Retain the submitted values and corresponding received messages. | Check | Result to require | Evidence to retain | | --- | --- | --- | | Opening answer | Deposit definition and buyer action are visible without registration | Phone and desktop review | | Local sources | Form scope, edition, date, and reviewer match the approved brief | Source comparison and broker or attorney review | | Lending explanation | Fannie Mae guidance keeps its program label and lender confirmation | Reviewed passage and dated source | | Worksheet | Download matches the public guide and leaves personal values blank | Page and download comparison | | Receipt wording | Inquiry confirmation cannot be read as deposit receipt verification | Confirmation and worksheet review | | Successful inquiry | Agreed recipient receives page, stage, topic, question, and reply details | Submitted values and receipt at the destination | | Failure handling | Invalid fields permit correction; failed delivery does not show success | Controlled failure and recovery check | | Website boundary | Form contains no payment function or financial-document upload | Form and connection review | | Contact and resource links | Each opens the intended destination on tested devices | Dated URL check and unresolved failures | Assign an owner for source updates and matching worksheet revisions. Hold unverified local wording for review. These checks describe work to commission; they report no implemented page or successful inquiry test. ## Put the guide in the whole website fix brief Supply your current buyer page, service area, approved contract explanation, source records, worksheet requirements, and receiving contact. Ask for this guide and its inquiry checks in the written page scope. The [Scale With Search $2,000 whole website fix](/for/real-estate) repairs or rebuilds an agent or small-team website and tests the inquiry path with proof of receipt. Published offer checked 2026.10.13. Confirm this guide's inclusion in the written scope before work begins. - [Test the seller inquiry path on your real estate website](/articles/seller-inquiry-path-agent-website) - [Check your real estate website in 30 minutes](/articles/real-estate-website-audit) - [Own your real estate website: domain, hosting, editing, and leads](/articles/own-your-site) ## Related: Real estate - [Test the seller inquiry path on your real estate website](/articles/seller-inquiry-path-agent-website) - [Check your real estate website in 30 minutes](/articles/real-estate-website-audit) - [Own your real estate website: domain, hosting, editing, and leads](/articles/own-your-site) ---- ```text .|########||. .|########||. .|########||. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |##||. .||##|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#|. .|#|. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. .#| .#. .#| .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .# ||#########| #| .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. .#. |######||######|. .#. #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# #. .##|###|##|#|######| .# || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || || |##|#||||||||||||#||#| || # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. # |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # # .#||||||||||||||||||||||||#| # || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || || ....|||#||||||##|#|||#|#||##||||....|. || #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# #. . ....|# ....#||| ||| .#||| ....#. .# # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. # . ||||#| .#####|| . .#| .#||| ||||# #. .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || .| ||||| #. |#|||||. || #. |#||. .||||| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || || |.... #. ....|#. |. ...|. ....|| || #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# #. .||||||##||||||##||####|||||||#||||||#| .# # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .||####|###########################|. # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#||||||.#.|| # |. ..# #| #|||||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||||| .. |# ## |#| ...#|#|||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#|||#|# .# .#| #| ##|.#..#|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # .#||||||############|######|||||#| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # # |...||#||||||#||||#|#||||||#|||||#||| |.| # #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# #. .. ||||# .|||##|. |#| .|| || .|||#. #| # .# || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || | ...|| ...##| | #| .|. |. ##### .. .| || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || || ||||| || ||||#| . |. |. |#. ||||| |#| || || .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. .# |.....#|....|#.||||.|||##.|#|....||.#||.#. #. #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# #.|||||||#############################| ||| .# || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || || ##||#||#||||||#||#||#||#||##. || # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # # .#|||||||||#||#|||||||||||#| # || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||||||#| || .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. .# |#||||||||||||||||||||#| #. || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || || |#||||||||||||||||||#| || #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# #. .######|#|#########| .# .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. .#. |#####||||#####| .#. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ||########|| #. |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |# ...... #| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#. |#. .#. |#. .#. .#| |#. .#| |#. .#| |#. |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| |#| .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. .|#|. |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| |##||. .||##| .||########||. .||########||. .||########||. 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