Earnest Money Deposit (EMD)

Earnest money is a payment made by a homebuyer to show to the seller that he or she is serious about buying.

The timing of your earnest money payment is generally stated in your contract. In most cases, earnest money is due simultaneously with, or shortly after, the contract is signed by both buyer and seller.

Typically, earnest money is held by a third party called an “escrow agent” or “escrow holder.” The escrow holder may be a title company, a real estate office, an attorney’s office, or any other party designated in the contract.

In most cases, homebuyers receive credit for their earnest money deposit at time of closing.

Most buyers will be verified by providing basic information such as:

• Last four digits of their Social Security Number (SSN)

• Current address

• Legal first and last name If the above information does not satisfy our verification score, then a buyer will provide their full SSN. For the less-than-10% of buyers whose full SSN does not satisfy the verification process, our system will ask for a valid form of identification. These are:

• U.S. passport

• State-issued I.D

• U.S. driver’s license Finally, if automatic verification is not possible we can manually verify.

Buyers may require manual verification for the following reasons:

• A buyer did not use his or her legal first or last name.

• A buyer recently moved so the system cannot match the address provided with the address on public record.

• A buyer mistyped their name, address or SSN.

• A buyer provides ITIN instead of SSN.

• A non-valid document was uploaded like an expired driver’s license, nonofficial form of ID or identification document containing a blurry photo.

Yes, you can provide a check or send a wire. For additional information on these options, please contact us.

No, not at this time.