Contingent Vs. Pending: What’s The Difference?

You can go about buying a house in many ways. If you’re working with a real estate agent, it’s likely you’ll be primarily focusing on homes listed with agents. The multiple listing service (MLS) is a database where real estate agents and REALTORS^® can access homes that are listed with other agents. Several statuses for homes are listed on the MLS.

Let’s look at different types of contingent versus pending statuses and explore what they mean.

What Does It Mean When A House Is Contingent?

A property listed as contingent means the seller has accepted an offer, but they’ve chosen to keep the listing active in case certain contingencies, or conditions, aren’t met by the prospective buyer. Sellers might continue to show the home and accept backup offers while a sale is pending on contingencies.