Earnest money deposit funding.
The seller wants a deposit to take the property off the market. The deposit is funded and wired to your title company or closing attorney, so you can sign the contract and keep your own cash working.
Four steps from contract to closing.
The deposit stays with a neutral closing agent the whole time.
- YouSigned contractA refundable deposit is due under the contract.
- Capital providerFunds the depositAfter the agreement is signed and the upfront fee is paid.
- Title or attorneyHolds the depositConfirms receipt in writing.
- ClosingFunding is repaidAt closing, or from the returned deposit if the contract ends while it is refundable.
Send the contract
The signed purchase contract, the deposit amount and due date, and the closing date. What you submit must match the contract.
Eligibility is confirmed
The deposit must be refundable under the contract, usually during the inspection or due diligence period. Some assignment structures do not qualify.
Sign and pay the upfront fee
You sign the funding agreement, plus a mutual release where the title company requires one, and pay the upfront fee quoted for the deal.
The deposit is wired
Straight to the title company or closing attorney named on your contract, which confirms receipt in writing.
What qualifies
- A refundable deposit. The contract has to show it, usually through an inspection or due diligence period.
- Signed contracts, signed by every party and matching what you submit.
- A title company or closing attorney named on the contract, to hold the deposit and confirm receipt.
- End buyers: an addendum extending the inspection period through closing, so the deposit stays refundable.
The full document list is on the Financing page.
Not funded
- Non-refundable deposits. A deposit that cannot come back cannot repay the funding if the deal fails.
- Money sent anywhere but closing. Never to a seller, an individual or a private account.
- Requests made for someone else. The buyer named on the contract submits and signs.
Common questions.
Questions about pricing, timing and where your information goes are answered on the Financing page.
What is earnest money deposit funding?
Short-term funding for the earnest money deposit a purchase contract requires. The deposit is wired to the title company or closing attorney named on the contract and repaid at closing, or from the returned deposit if the contract ends while the deposit is still refundable. Only refundable deposits qualify. There is an upfront fee, which is not refunded, and a further fee at closing. See the document list.
What happens if the deal falls apart?
If the contract ends while the deposit is refundable, the deposit is returned and repays the funding. The upfront fee is not refunded. A deposit that has stopped being refundable can be kept by the seller under the contract, so watch the inspection or due diligence deadline.
Can an end buyer use earnest money funding?
Yes, when the buyer and seller sign an addendum extending the inspection period through closing, so the deposit stays refundable for the life of the contract.
Why must the money go to a title company or closing attorney?
That is where an earnest money deposit belongs. A neutral closing agent holds it under the contract's terms, which protects everyone.
Deposit due this week?
Submit it as soon as the contract is signed, so there is time for review before the deposit is due. Also see Double closings · The stack method.