--- title: "Home sale contingency FAQ for an agent website" description: "Brief a home sale contingency FAQ with buyer sale-stage evidence, seller acceptance questions, state form sources, and an inquiry route for agent review." canonical: "https://scalewithsearch.com/articles/home-sale-contingency-agent-seller-faq" --- ## 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) # Home sale contingency: a seller FAQ for your agent website A home sale contingency gives a buyer time to sell their current home before closing on another. A home-close contingency concerns completing a sale already under contract. NAR distinguishes these conditions in its [consumer guide to contract contingencies](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/consumer-guide-real-estate-contract-contingencies), checked 2026.10.14. On your agent website, explain that distinction, then help a seller identify what needs review before accepting an offer. Ask about the buyer's sale stage, the proposed dates, and the actual contract wording. Use this page brief to connect the public answer to a specific buyer or seller inquiry. The website requirements below are recommendations. This article provides no legal advice. Confirm the contract explanation with your broker or attorney before publishing it. ## What should the seller acceptance FAQ answer first? Start with “What must happen before this buyer can complete the purchase?” Follow with “What evidence do we have today?” Keep the seller's decision separate from an automatic accept-or-reject rule. NAR describes a contingency as a condition required before completing the purchase. The parties must agree to its inclusion. Its guide recommends attorney review of contract terms. [NAR's definition and review guidance](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/consumer-guide-real-estate-contract-contingencies), checked 2026.10.14. Propose a short opening answer for the agent's page, subject to local review: > A buyer may ask to make the purchase depend on selling or closing their current home. Before deciding, ask your agent to review the sale stage, dates, and proposed contract. Share your own timing requirements. [consumer guide to contract contingencies](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/consumer-guide-real-estate-contract-contingencies), checked 2026.10.14. Place a seller question route beside that answer. Keep the longer explanation available without requiring contact details to read it. ## Which buyer sale-stage evidence belongs in the discussion? NAR separates time to find a buyer from time to close an existing sale. Use that distinction to organize the discussion. [NAR's home-sale and home-close descriptions](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/consumer-guide-real-estate-contract-contingencies), checked 2026.10.14. Request this evidence worksheet from the agent reviewing the offer. These are proposed review fields, rather than a national contract checklist. | Buyer sale stage | Evidence to confirm privately | Question for the seller's review | | --- | --- | --- | | Not yet listed | Intended listing date and the buyer's stated sale plan | What remains to happen before a sale agreement exists? | | Listed without a contract | Current listing status, source date, and proposed purchase deadline | What timing assumptions require verification? | | Sale under contract | Confirmation of the agreement, expected closing date, and unresolved conditions | Which parts of that sale still need to be completed? | | Sale closed | Confirmation of closing and any remaining funding question | Does the proposed purchase still require this condition? | | Stage unknown | Missing evidence and the person responsible for confirming it | What must be established before giving a recommendation? | Keep “buyer reports” and “agent verified” as separate labels in the private review record. Date each confirmation. Leave unknown information visible. Ask the buyer's representative to arrange permitted evidence through the brokerage's approved process. Use redacted or fictional examples on the public FAQ. Keep contracts and financial records out of the website's initial inquiry form. Do not turn a listing badge into a finding about another sale's contract conditions. Ask for confirmation of the relevant facts. ## Can one national FAQ explain every state's contract? Listing agreements, contingencies, and rent-back terms vary by state and by the state's standard forms. Tie each local answer to the applicable document. Start with the [NC REALTORS forms library](https://www.ncrealtors.org/legal-ethics/forms-contracts/document-library/) or the relevant commission's form page. Sources checked on 2026.10.14. For example, the Texas Real Estate Commission publishes **Form 10-6, Addendum for Sale of Other Property by Buyer**. Its form page lists an effective date of 2011.12.05. It addresses a purchase dependent on the buyer's existing property being sold and closed. [TREC's form page](https://www.trec.texas.gov/forms/addendum-sale-other-property-buyer), checked on 2026.10.14. North Carolina needs a different explanation. NC REALTORS guidance dated 2025.02.20 says the buyer's statement in Form 2-T about needing to sell does not create a contingency. It identifies an attorney-drafted addendum as necessary to create a true contingent sale using that form. [NC REALTORS guidance](https://www.ncrealtors.org/question/the-offer-to-purchase-and-contract-and-contingent-sales/), checked on 2026.10.14. The NC forms library lists Form 2-T with a publication date of 2026.07.08. Recheck the current form and guidance together with the responsible reviewer. [NC REALTORS forms library](https://www.ncrealtors.org/legal-ethics/forms-contracts/document-library/). For your page, name the state, form identifier, version or effective date, source-check date, and review owner. **Confirm the answer with your broker or attorney.** Have that person resolve any difference between guidance and the current document. Keep listing-agreement and post-closing occupancy explanations in their own resources. This FAQ concerns accepting an offer dependent on another sale. ## What should the page ask about a kick-out clause? NAR describes continue-to-show and kick-out provisions alongside home-sale and home-close contingencies. Their inclusion and operation need review in the actual agreement. [NAR's contingency and clause guide](https://www.nar.realtor/the-facts/consumer-guide-real-estate-contract-contingencies), checked 2026.10.14. Use the Texas form as a labeled example. Paragraph B addresses seller notice after accepting another written offer. Paragraph C requires written waiver and additional earnest money. The response period and deposit amount have blanks. [TREC Form 10-6, paragraphs B and C](https://www.trec.texas.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-forms/10-6.pdf). Have the broker or attorney approve answers to these questions before they appear on the agent's page: - What event permits the seller to give notice? - Who must receive notice, and how must it be delivered? - When does the response period begin and end? - What must the buyer do to satisfy a waiver? - What happens if the buyer does not respond as required? - What contract obligations remain after waiver? Keep these as questions until the relevant agreement is reviewed. Avoid publishing a default response period or saying any better offer cancels the first contract. ## What if the buyer's sale misses the deadline? Answer from the signed terms. In the Texas example, paragraph A provides for automatic termination and an earnest-money refund if its condition is neither satisfied nor waived by the specified date. Paragraph D addresses default after waiver when the buyer fails to close for the stated proceeds-related reason. [TREC Form 10-6, paragraphs A and D](https://www.trec.texas.gov/sites/default/files/pdf-forms/10-6.pdf). Keep that explanation labeled Texas. Ask the local reviewer to identify the applicable deadline, notices, waiver requirements, deposit treatment, and any proposed extension process. For the website brief, provide a place to ask about a received notice or approaching date. Have the receiving agent confirm how those questions are handled. Publish a response-time commitment only after that process is agreed. ## What should a buyer or seller inquiry include? Offer separate actions: **Ask about a contingent offer I received** and **Ask about buying before my home sells**. Label these as proposed wording for the agent's review. Request the visitor's role, property state, sale stage, question, and preferred reply method. Make proposed dates optional. Include “Not sure” for sale stage. Carry the FAQ page reference and selected role into the received message. Name the receiving agent. Explain that the next step is a discussion and document review through the agreed private process. For a seller, prompt “Which part of the proposed condition do you want to discuss?” For a buyer, prompt “Has your current home been listed or placed under contract?” Let visitors describe uncertainty in their own words. Keep a submission separate from acceptance of an offer, review of a contract, or confirmation of financing. Record those later steps only when they occur. ## How should the agent accept the finished page? Ask the builder and reviewers for the following evidence. These are proposed acceptance checks, not completed test results. | Check | Evidence to request | | --- | --- | | Opening answer | The home-sale and home-close distinction matches the cited source | | State explanation | Current form, source date, and broker or attorney approval are recorded | | Kick-out answer | No invented notice trigger, response period, or waiver promise appears | | Sale-stage inquiry | Every choice, including unknown, reaches the agreed recipient with the question | | Source maintenance | A named person owns rechecking links and affected contract explanations | | Phone and keyboard use | The answer, source links, fields, and submission result remain usable | Use marked test inquiries with details you control. Inspect receipt at the agreed destination and compare it with the submitted question. Keep evidence of failures until corrected. ## Include the FAQ in the website brief The contingency FAQ separates the buyer's sale stage from questions requiring contract review. Include the approved explanation at [whole website fix: home-sale contingencies](/for/real-estate). Your whole website fix handover includes files for the delivered pages. [Published website scope](https://scalewithsearch.com/work). [scalewithsearch.com primary source](https://scalewithsearch.com/for/real-estate), checked 2026.10.14. - [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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