What contingencies should I include in my offer?

Contingencies are the conditions that let you exit a contract with your deposit if something specific goes wrong. Think of them as circuit breakers — each one protects against a different kind of failure.

The core three

• Financing: if the loan falls through despite your good-faith effort, you can exit protected.
• Appraisal: if the home appraises low, you can renegotiate or leave.
• Inspection: in Florida, the widely used as-is contract provides an inspection period — a window to investigate and cancel for any reason. It's the workhorse protection here, and what "as-is" really means is less scary than it sounds.

Others exist for specific situations — like a home-sale contingency when your purchase depends on selling your current home — each adding protection, and weight.

The balance

Every contingency protects you and slightly softens your offer, because sellers price certainty. The craft is keeping the protections that carry real risk for your deal and trimming the padding — realistic-but-tight timelines often preserve the protection while reading as confident. Waiving protections happens in bidding wars; it should only ever happen with a full understanding of what's exposed, and there's usually a smarter middle.

Deadlines are the fine print that matters

Each contingency lives on a clock. Miss a window and the protection quietly expires while your deposit stays on the table. Your rights depend on the signed agreement — for legal questions, a Florida real estate attorney is the right resource; for tracking every date so it never comes to that, that's me.

We'll build your offer's protections deliberately — enough armor to be safe, little enough to stay competitive — with the exit rules understood before you ever need them.

Mayra Cordero

REALTOR® · Central Florida

This answer is general education, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Your situation is unique — let's talk through the specifics together.