Definition

1. Noun:
   • Money given by a buyer to a seller to bind a contract: A sum of money paid by a prospective buyer to a seller to demonstrate the buyer's serious intent and commitment to complete a transaction, such as the purchase of real estate or a business. This payment is typically held in escrow and is often applied toward the final purchase price if the deal is completed.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • The buyer provided $10,000 in earnest money to show good faith in the home purchase.
  • The contract stipulates that the earnest money will be forfeited if the buyer backs out without a valid contingency.
  • They required a larger amount of earnest money due to the competitive nature of the real estate market.

Advanced Usage

• "To put down earnest money": To make an earnest money payment.
  • We put down earnest money to secure our offer on the house.
• "Earnest money deposit (EMD)": A common formal term for earnest money in real estate contracts.
  • The earnest money deposit is held by a third-party escrow agent.

Variants and Related Words

• Deposit (n): A sum of money placed in advance as a pledge or part payment. (Note: While similar, a general "deposit" can be for various purposes, whereas "earnest money" is specific to binding a purchase contract.)
• Down payment (n): An initial payment made when something is bought on credit. (Note: A down payment is typically a larger, formal part of the purchase price, while earnest money is a smaller, preliminary good-faith payment.)
• Security deposit (n): Money paid in advance to protect against potential damage or default, often in a rental agreement.

Synonyms

• Binder: A sum of money paid to secure an agreement.
• Good-faith money: Money paid to demonstrate serious intent.

Related Phrases

• Forfeit earnest money: To lose the right to the earnest money due to failure to fulfill contract terms.
  • If you fail to secure financing, you may forfeit your earnest money.
• Release of earnest money: The process of disbursing the held funds, typically to the seller upon deal completion or back to the buyer if a contingency is invoked.
  • The release of earnest money to the seller occurred at closing.

Noun

1. money given by a buyer to a seller to bind a contract