Whether you’re buying or selling a home in Indiana, you probably know a little bit about home appraisals. But what’s a home appraisal contingency? This guide explains.

What is a Home Appraisal Contingency?

Contingencies are conditions that a real estate agent builds into a real estate purchase contract to protect their clients. These contingencies must be met or the deal won’t go through.

In many contracts, real estate agents include a contingency about home appraisals. home appraisal contingencies say that if the home appraises too low, the buyer has the right to walk away from the deal.

What Happens When an Appraisal Comes Back Low?

When a home appraisal comes back low, it means that the appraiser doesn’t believe it’s worth the amount of money that the buyer is asking to borrow. Lenders don’t like to give more money then they have to for a home because statistically, borrowers are more likely to walk away and default on their payments when the home is worth less than they paid for it. That costs the lender a significant amount of money, and they’re stuck with a house they need to turn around and sell. as a result, the lender will most likely tell the buyer that they can borrow the home’s appraised value and not a penny more.

If an appraisal comes back low, buyers have a few options. They can ask the seller to come down on the price, come up with the remainder of the money that they can’t finance on their own, or walk away from the deal.

What Happens to a Buyer’s Earnest Money if a Home Appraises Too Low?

If a real estate purchase contract includes a home appraisal contingency, the buyer typically gets to walk away from the deal with their earnest money intact. The seller doesn’t get to keep the earnest money in that case.

$775,000

5 Bedrooms
5 Bathrooms
5,596 Sq Ft
0.890 Acres

3265 Foxridge Drive Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Brenda Krempp from RE/MAX Local.

$724,600

3 Bedrooms
4 Bathrooms
4,319 Sq Ft
1.600 Acres

1015 W 15th Street Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Caroline Gobert from ERA FIRST ADVANTAGE REALTY, INC.

$624,900

3 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
2,940 Sq Ft
14.820 Acres

1089 N 400W Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Zach Holt from Whitetail Properties Real Estate.

$624,000

4 Bedrooms
4 Bathrooms
3,906 Sq Ft
0.595 Acres

3289 St Charles Street Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Annette Wigand from ERA FIRST ADVANTAGE REALTY, INC.

$399,000

3 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
3,076 Sq Ft
1 Acres

3515 Villa Drive Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Leanna Graves from RE/MAX REVOLUTION.

$399,000

3 Bedrooms
3 Bathrooms
2,650 Sq Ft
0.780 Acres

3264 Lakeside Dr. Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Larry Carpenter III from Carpenter Realty LLC.

$360,000

4 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
3,490 Sq Ft
0.371 Acres

307 Newton Street Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Tama Stemle from RE/MAX Local.

$340,000

4 Bedrooms
4 Bathrooms
2,961 Sq Ft
0.294 Acres

333 Daisy Lane Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Linda Schroering from CENTURY 21 SCHROERING REALTY.

$325,000

3 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
1,650 Sq Ft
0 Acres

614 W 34th Street Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Daniel Hoffman from HOFFMAN & MULLEN REALTY INC.

$319,900

5 Bedrooms
3 Bathrooms
2,377 Sq Ft
0.346 Acres

1780 Sweet Gum Drive Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Amanda Childers from Hawkins & Root Real Estate.

$315,000

3 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
3,232 Sq Ft
0.520 Acres

3508 N 600 W Road Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Caroline Gobert from ERA FIRST ADVANTAGE REALTY, INC.

$309,000

5 Bedrooms
3 Bathrooms
2,730 Sq Ft
0.680 Acres

580 Riverside Drive Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Jud Collett from Key Associates Signature Realty.

$289,000

3 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
1,648 Sq Ft
0.340 Acres

4130 N Portersville Road Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Gina Mehringer from F.C. TUCKER EMGE.

$274,900

3 Bedrooms
3 Bathrooms
2,172 Sq Ft
0.460 Acres

1244 W 14th Street Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Steve Lukemeyer from F.C. TUCKER EMGE.

$269,900

4 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
2,168 Sq Ft
0.200 Acres

319 E 5th Street Jasper, Indiana

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Listing courtesy of Seth Yates from Key Associates Signature Realty.

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