What are the top red flags in a Florida purchase contract sellers should watch for?

Each homeowners will have different items that are of importance to them. Here are some items to be on the lookout for to determine the strength of the offer and if it is right for you. Amount of deposit, loan type, amount of down payment, requested seller concessions, closing date unusually far out, assignability. Any special requests, contingencies or additional terms. All of these items should be considered and discussed with your Realtor.

Start with the inspection period, because in Florida it is the biggest one and most sellers read past it. Under the AS IS contract a buyer can walk during that window for any reason at all and take the deposit with them. A long inspection period is not diligence, it is a free option on your house. Fifteen days and ten days are very different offers at the same price. Then look at the deposit. A thin initial deposit with a vague second deposit date tells you what the buyer is actually risking, which is the only honest measure of commitment in the document. On financing, ask what stage they are at rather than what letter they attached. A pre-qualification is a conversation. Full underwriting approval with only the property left to clear is a different animal. Also check whether the closing date leaves room past their rate lock, because an expiring lock is where clean deals go sideways. Last one people miss: a contingency on selling their current home, buried below the price. I list in Spring Hill and across Hernando County and I read the terms before the number every time. Kevin Neely & Kaitlynd Robbins | K2 Sells

Hi Michelle, congratulations on the multiple-offer market. Since you are the seller, the red flags are not really in the contract language itself (Florida uses standard forms), they are in the terms buyers plug into those forms. Here is what I would scrutinize on each offer: - Financing type and strength. A cash offer with proof of funds beats a higher-priced offer with a shaky preapproval. Read the preapproval letter, not just the price. - Appraisal gap language. In a hot market, ask whether the buyer will cover a shortfall if the appraisal comes in low. An offer with no appraisal gap coverage can fall apart or force a price cut later. - Inspection period and repair limits. A short inspection window and a cap on repair requests protect you. A wide-open inspection contingency lets a buyer renegotiate or walk. - Closing date and financing timeline. Make sure their dates match their loan type. Rushed timelines on financed deals cause blown closings. - Escalation clauses. These can win you more money, but read the cap and the proof requirement carefully. - Post-occupancy or unusual concessions. Requests for you to stay past closing, or large credits, change your net and your risk. The highest number is not always the best offer. Rank them on certainty of closing, then price. Have your agent walk you through each, and for anything nonstandard, a quick attorney review is cheap insurance. I am a real estate professional, not an attorney. I am Zoltan Peresztegi, based in Los Angeles and the South Bay, including Palos Verdes. Palm Beach County is outside my market, but I would be glad to connect you with a strong local agent from my network who lives in that contract every day. Zoltan

Great question, Michelle! Multiple offers are exciting, but you're smart to look past the price. Watch for: financing contingencies without a strong pre-approval attached, an inspection period that's unusually long, an appraisal contingency with no gap coverage in a rising market, vague or low earnest money deposits, and closing dates that keep needing extensions. Also double-check that proof of funds or pre-approval actually matches the offer amount. Your agent can help you weigh all of this against price so you land on the offer most likely to actually close!

The highest offer isn't always the best offer. Some common red flags include a small earnest money deposit, long inspection or financing contingencies, a buyer who isn't pre-approved, or a contract that's dependent on the sale of the buyer's current home. Also pay attention to the proposed closing date and any unusual requests for credits or repairs. A slightly lower offer from a well-qualified buyer with fewer contingencies is often more likely to close than the highest offer with multiple conditions.

Larry here! I've closed 2,000+ homes in South Florida, and I can tell you this: the highest offer is almost never the strongest offer. Sellers who only look at price end up with deals that don't close. What actually matters? The contract, the deposit, the timing. That's what closes deals. First, use a standard FARBAR "As Is" contract. If they can't put that together, we're not doing the deal. Period. Custom contracts have loopholes that let buyers back out at any stage. Second, escrow deposit. You get a $1,000 deposit on a $700,000 home? That's a wholesaler who's broke. A serious buyer puts down 5% of the purchase price. Third, inspection period and financing contingency. 30-45 day inspections are red flags. Standard is 7 days. And if their financing contingency matches the full closing period, they can bail anytime with a loan denial. A real buyer locks in 14-21 days max. Fourth, fewer contingencies. More contingencies mean more exit doors. Here's the structure of a serious buyer: FARBAR contract, 5% deposit, 7-day inspection, 14-21 day loan commitment, 45-day closing, minimal contingencies. When you see that combo, you got a real deal. Get your realtor or attorney to review offers against this. We've done thousands of deals, we know which ones close.

Cassidy here — I’m a Florida real estate expert, and honestly sellers should be looking at WAY more than just the offer price when contracts start coming in. The highest offer is not always the strongest offer. Some of the biggest red flags I tell sellers to watch for are: * Very low escrow deposits * Long inspection periods * Excessive contingencies * Buyers who aren’t fully underwritten/strong financially * Large seller concessions * Unclear financing terms * Buyers trying to include too many personal property items * Unrealistic closing timelines Another major one is buyers offering high prices just to win the deal and then trying to renegotiate heavily after inspections. That’s becoming more common in some markets. This is where having an experienced agent matters because a strong listing agent should help you evaluate the full strength of the contract — not just the number at the top of the page. I help my sellers analyze financing strength, contingency risk, negotiation leverage, timeline concerns, inspection exposure, and overall buyer quality so we can choose the offer most likely to actually close smoothly and protect your bottom line. The goal isn’t just getting under contract — it’s getting to the closing table with the least amount of stress and surprises possible.