What's the difference between under contract and under deposit?
One of my readers asked me this question and I would like to thank her for asking. We often assume that people understand our lingo as well as we do, so it is good to be reminded that we could explain things better.
In the Connecticut MLS, we differentiate the status of a listing with SHOW and DEPOSIT. SHOW means that there is an agreed-upon contract with contingencies that have not yet been met. The most common contingencies are usually a mortgage contingency, an inspection contingency, and sale of buyers' residence contingency (Hubbard), but there are others. SHOW also means that the sellers can continue to show the property if they choose to, which is the norm especially with a Hubbard clause. If there is no Hubbard, many sellers elect to not have any more showings.
Once all contingencies have been met, the status is changed to DEPOSIT. This means that the buyers have obtained their mortgage commitment, completed their home inspections, negotiated for any repairs, etc. At this point, the parties are simply waiting for a clear to close.
When I report on monthly market statistics, I use the terms Under Contract for homes with SHOW status and Under Deposit for those with DEPOSIT status.
Again, I appreciate your questions; keep them coming!
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