What might happen if a buyer does not provide earnest money with their offer?

When a buyer submits an offer in real estate transactions, earnest money serves as a form of security for the seller, demonstrating the buyer's commitment to the purchase. If a buyer fails to provide earnest money, the seller may perceive the offer as lacking seriousness or intent.

Consequently, this could lead to the seller deciding to ignore the offer altogether, as they might prefer to consider offers from buyers who have shown financial commitment through earnest money. This behavior is standard practice, as earnest money can help in gauging a buyer's commitment and can also offer an assurance to the seller that the buyer intends to follow through with the transaction if the offer is accepted.

In contrast, other scenarios like immediate acceptance of the offer or a smooth sale process are unlikely because sellers are looking for assurances that buyers are genuinely invested in completing the sale. Similarly, sellers typically do not change offer terms simply because earnest money is absent; that situation does not motivate a revision of terms but rather a reevaluation of the interest level in the offer itself.