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Seller's Earnest Money Deposit ... What If?

By
Real Estate Agent with Morris Williams Realty

We all know why the buyers provide a good faith deposit ( Earnest Money) in escrow. It's to  provide the seller with some security and in Ca., to be held as liquidated damages in the event of a Buyer breach of contract.

Well what happens when the Seller decides to back out at the last moment and breaches their contract? What recourse would the Buyers have in this situation for possible damages ?

 What damages you say ? How about Buyers giving notice on their long term lease and paying a early cancellation penalty for it. Suppose they rented a truck for the move , bought furniture , made deposits on other services,  and were forced into temporary housing?

Could a seller be liable for damages?  MMMM .... Really the only recourse for a buyer in this situation would seemingly be to arbitrate or sue the seller for the actual damages. Do ya think buyers want to do that? No they want to move into a new home.

I wonder if it has ever occurred to anyone to have a deposit contribution from the seller to show the buyer their commitment to sell, and provide some security to the buyer for a seller breach. It seems to me that if ya wanna dance you gotta bring something to the table too.    

Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Roger,

The contract has a stipulation that if the Seller breaches the contract, they can sue for the specific performance, and, if the Seller did really breach the contract, they may win and move in.

But it is suiong not for the damages, but for specific preformance. Hey, the house is at stake

Aug 27, 2008 01:19 PM
Roger Haaf
Morris Williams Realty - El Dorado Hills, CA

Yes , I agree they can, but I think most buyers really don't want to have to do that. Even if they have a good case it's tough to force a seller to sell or a buyer to buy.

Aug 27, 2008 01:31 PM