What can be a result of not providing earnest money in a purchase offer?

When a buyer submits an offer to purchase a property, including earnest money is a critical practice that demonstrates the buyer's seriousness and commitment to the transaction. Earnest money acts as a good faith deposit, reassuring the seller that the buyer is genuinely interested in proceeding with the purchase.

If earnest money is not provided, the seller may perceive the offer as less serious or less reliable. This perception can influence the seller's willingness to negotiate or accept the offer, especially if there are other competing offers that do include earnest money. The lack of a deposit could make the seller less inclined to take the buyer’s offer seriously, as earnest money is often seen as a measure of the buyer's intent to follow through with the transaction.

In contrast, the other options do not accurately reflect the implications of not providing earnest money. For instance, not including earnest money does not lead to the automatic loss of any deposit since no deposit has been made. Similarly, the absence of earnest money does not affect the timing of the transaction closing, nor does it have any impact on the broker's commission, which is typically governed by the terms of the agreement with their client and not influenced by the buyer's earnest money contribution.