The Contract

Who holds the earnest money, what the seller must disclose, and what each clause of the purchase agreement actually fixes in place.

The Contract September 28, 2026 Waiving Contingencies When Buying a House: What You Give Up There is no waiver form. In four state contracts the giving-up is a blank, an unfilled fee, or the letters N/A — and each one has a different price. 16 min read
The Contract August 29, 2026 Seller Disclosures: What Unknown and a Blank Mean Five states, five different forms, and on the federal lead attachment there is no box for 'I don't know'. What each answer commits a seller to. 12 min read
The Contract August 18, 2026 Earnest Money: Who Holds It and When It Is at Risk Your deposit is not sitting where you think it is, and the clock that decides whether it comes back runs 7, 15, 30 or 90 days depending on the state. 12 min read

About this section

A mechanic's lien recorded in 2009 surfaced on the title commitment six days before closing, and that purchase ended there. The second one, two years later, went through — but only because Ellis Tran had by then learned to open Schedule B on the day it arrives instead of the day before signing. He is neither an agent nor a loan officer, recommends no lender and no loan product, and is paid nothing by anyone involved in a transaction. Each page names the rule it leans on — a CFPB regulation section, an ALTA form number, a state's own disclosure form — and links the original, so the wording can be checked against whatever your own file actually says.

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How this is checked

Every guide cites the agency, statute, or document it was checked against, and carries the date it was checked. Rules change — if something here is out of date, tell us and it gets corrected.