A home you saw just switched to “contingent,” and you’re wondering what that really means.
Is it off the market, or can a buyer still make an offer?
You might also see “pending” on other listings and want to understand the difference between those two statuses.
If you’re a seller, the question is different but just as important.
How much certainty do you have once your listing goes contingent?
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- What “contingent” means
- What happens once a listing is contingent
- How it’s different from “pending”
- When a contingent listing can go back on the market.
What does contingent in real estate mean?
In real estate, “contingent” means the seller has accepted an offer, but the sale is still conditional on one or more contingencies being met.
Until those contingencies are satisfied (or waived), the sale is not final and the home can still fall out of contract.
Most contingencies are tied to buyer due diligence or loan approval.
The seller may still allow showings while the contract is in contingent status.
But that depends on the local market and the terms in the purchase agreement.
What happens when a listing is contingent?
There’s a lot happening behind the scenes on a contingent listing.
Most of the activity falls into a few buckets:
- Inspections and due diligence: The buyer schedules inspections and does more homework on the property.
- Financing and appraisal: If the buyer is getting a loan, the lender completes underwriting and orders an appraisal.
- Negotiations: If issues come up (inspection findings, appraisal value, timing), the buyer and seller negotiate repairs, credits, or other terms.
- Decision point: By the contract deadlines, the parties either move forward or the contract falls apart.
This is why a home can sit in “contingent” status for days or weeks.
The sale is moving forward, but it still has a few hurdles to clear before it can move closer to closing.
Contingent vs. pending: what’s the difference?
The difference between contingent and pending is whether the sale still has contingencies to clear before it can close.
Contingent means at least one condition is still open.
And pending usually means the major conditions have been cleared.
A home with a contingent status comes with more uncertainty, while one that is pending is more stable.
The safest way to interpret either status is this:
- Contingent: The contract still has at least one meaningful “if” left.
- Pending: The sale is past the major roadblocks and is mainly waiting on closing steps.
That said, sometimes a house will show as contingent when it’s really pending.
This usually happens because the listing agent hasn’t updated the status in the MLS yet.
In other words, the deal may be effectively pending, but the status didn’t get updated.
When a contingent home can go back on the market
A contingent home can go back on the market if the buyer can’t clear the remaining conditions or the contract is canceled.
When that happens, the listing agent updates the MLS status back to active.
Here are the most common situations where a contingent listing returns to the market:
- Inspection concerns: The buyer finds issues during inspections and cancels within the inspection contingency window.
- Low appraisal: The appraisal comes in below the purchase price and the parties can’t agree on a solution, so the buyer walks away under the appraisal contingency.
- Financing falls through: Even with a pre-approval, underwriting denies the loan and the buyer cancels under the financing contingency.
- Buyer needs to sell first: The buyer needs to sell their current home first, but that sale doesn’t happen, so the buyer can’t move forward.
- Deadlines aren’t met: The buyer misses a contract deadline, the seller declines an extension, and the seller puts the home back on the MLS.
Common contingent listing statuses
Not all contingent listings you see online are the same.
Some stay available for showings, while others stop showing even though they’re still under contract.
In most cases, the MLS status comes down to the seller’s confidence in the current buyer and whether the seller wants a backup plan.
This is about how the listing is marketed while it’s under contract, not the contingency clauses themselves.
Contingent (continue to show)
The seller accepted an offer, but the home is still available for showings. This often means the seller will consider backup offers in case the buyer can’t clear contingencies and the contract falls through.
Contingent (no show)
The seller accepted an offer and doesn’t want any more showings. This often means the seller expects the buyer to clear contingencies and move toward closing without needing a backup buyer.
Contingent with a kick-out clause
The seller accepted an offer that’s contingent on the buyer selling their current home but kept the right to continue marketing the property. If another offer comes in, the buyer typically has a short window to remove the contingency and move forward, or the seller can cancel and accept the new offer.
The bottom line
A home listed as “contingent” is under contract, but the sale isn’t locked in yet.
At least one contingency still needs to be cleared, which is why a contingent listing can still allow showings or return to the market.
If you’re a buyer, don’t assume “contingent” is a dead end.
Have your agent ask the listing agent which contingencies are still open and whether the seller is accepting backup offers.
If you’re a seller, treat a contingent offer as real, but remember it still has uncertainty until contingencies are removed.
The more your buyer clears early, the closer the sale is to closing.
