Earnest Money

[munna99185]

A deposit made to a seller showing the buyer's good faith in a transaction. Often used in real estate transactions, earnest money allows the buyer additional time when seeking financing. Earnest money is typically held jointly by the seller and buyer in a trust or escrow account. An earnest money deposit shows the seller that a buyer is serious about purchasing a property. When the transaction is finalized, the funds are put toward the buyer's down payment. If the deal falls through, the buyer may not be able to reclaim the deposit. Typically, if the seller terminates the deal, the earnest money will be returned to the buyer. When the buyer is responsible for retracting the offer, the seller will usually be awarded the money.

[Source: http://www.investopedia.com/terms/e/earnest-money.asp]


Sayed Farrukh Ahmed
Assistant Professor
Faculty of Business & Economics
Daffodil International University

[sajib]

A sum of money paid by a buyer at the time of entering a contract to indicate the intention and ability of the buyer to carry out the contract. Normally such earnest money is applied against the purchase price. Often the contract provides for Forfeiture of this sum if the buyer defaults. A deposit of part payment of purchase price on sale to be consummated in future.

http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/earnest+money