I am ready to bet you my entire 2026 income that I am right about this... Buckle up, Buttercup, because I am about to get real with you.
Before you let a buyer put your home under contract, understand this: The moment a house goes under contract, the MLS "requires" me to change the status to ACTIVE UNDER CONTRACT. Yes, there is an actual 👮 icon to report me if I do not. But I digress...
The seller has no real protection during due diligence. Let's just call a spade a spade, in Georgia the buyer can terminate for any reason, or no reason at all. Meanwhile...
- My seller loses "new on market" momentum.
- My seller loses online views.
- My seller loses showings.
- My seller loses the opportunity to sell the house to someone else.
Yet the MLS tells everyone the property is ACTIVE UNDER CONTRACT. Talk about an oxymoron!
And God forbid the buyer terminates during due diligence, because now the house comes back carrying the "BACK ON MARKET" scarlet letter. And suddenly every call is:
- "What was wrong with it?"
- "Why did the buyer walk?"
- Or my personal favorite...
The buyer did not get their theoretical pound of flesh during the initial negotiations, so now they want to nickel-and-dime their way into another $10,000 or $20,000 in seller concessions. Keep in mind that the same buyer could have terminated on four other houses before they got to 123 Banana Street, and the listing agent and sellers are none the wiser. But my listing? Now it is branded "Back on Market."
So now the seller has a choice: Go back on the market carrying the stigma of a failed contract, or give concessions to keep the deal together. Either way, the seller is the one at risk, and the buyer is the one with leverage.
I am not telling you to fear buyers. I am telling you to understand the board you are playing on so nobody monetizes your home against you. Personally, I think we should call it what it really is, an option period. The buyer investigates. The seller keeps marketing the property. Once the buyer is truly committed, earnest money is at risk. Then, and only then, should the status change. That creates balance.
I keep hearing all this talk about clear cooperation, seller choice, and days on market transparency. The bottom line is the seller wants a buyer, and the buyer wants a house, and everything in between should be designed to make that process easier for the consumer.