How a Buyer Relocating to Minnesota Lost a Home to a Backup Offer and Found a Better One

A buyer moved to Minnesota for work while her husband and kids stayed behind in their home state. Their house there was on the market but didn’t have a buyer yet. She evnetually found a home at an open house and wanted to write right away. Our offer depended on their house selling, so the seller kept the right to take another offer. We got through the inspection and negotiations, and then a backup offer came in. We had only a few days to remove the contingency, which wasn’t realistic, and the deal fell apart. They went on to buy a better home. The tradeoff: the money they spent inspecting a house they never closed on.

What was she trying to do?

She found me through an online home search site and asked to see a few houses. As we toured, I asked about her situation. She was preapproved, and she had moved to Minnesota ahead of her family. Her husband and kids were still back home, and their house there was listed with a local agent but hadn’t sold.

They had owned a home before, but buying in a new state is different. We went over how things work here, and we figured out how to keep her husband part of every decision. He never came to Minnesota to see houses. We kept him in it with Zoom and phone calls, and I didn’t meet him in person until closing day.

Why did we write an offer so early?

She went to an open house on her own and called me afterward. This was the one, and she wanted to write.

Because their current home didn’t have a buyer, our offer had to be contingent on that sale. A contingency like that gives the seller the right to keep showing the home and accept another offer. If they do, the first buyer gets a short window to remove the contingency or step aside. We wrote terms we thought were reasonable enough for the seller to accept.

What went wrong?

The listing agent was aggressive from the start. He pushed for nonrefundable earnest money because he didn’t believe their home would sell in a reasonable time. Some of his requests didn’t sound like they came from his client, and that made it hard to reach terms anyone could agree to.

We still got through the inspection. Several issues came up, and my clients were remarkably gracious through all of it. We worked out the repair negotiations and were heading into the appraisal.

Then the seller received another offer. Under our contract, we had only a few days to remove the contingency, meaning they’d have to buy without their house sold. That wasn’t possible. A longer window, like 30 or 45 days, might not have been enough either, and the seller likely wouldn’t have accepted it anyway. The deal ended there. After how kind my clients had been during the inspection, it felt pretty harsh.

How did it turn out?

Their house back home did sell after a price reduction or 2, and the closing timeline would have worked. The backup buyer ended up closing on the same date and at the same price we’d agreed to. The seller gained nothing by ending our deal.

My clients went on to buy a much better home, one I believed in far more than the first.

What did they give up?

The cost of an inspection on a home they never owned, plus time and a lot of emotional energy trying to keep the first home purchase together.

My lesson is that I should have insisted a bit louder about the risks of getting an offer accepted before their home sold. I should have said plainly that I was afraid they’d spend money inspecting a house they might never close on. That’s exactly what happened.

What would I tell the next buyer moving from out of state?

If your offer depends on selling a home somewhere else, know that you might be the one wasting money on a house you will never close on

For your house back at the other state -Is it priced right for its market? Does it have a buyer? Your listing agent there controls a big part of your timeline here. Ask them hard questions. In this case, we later learned their home was probably overpriced at first.

If you can wait until your home has an accepted offer, wait. Your offer gets stronger, and you’re far less likely to pay for an inspection on a house you lose.

And when a deal falls apart, it can feel personal. Sometimes it’s the thing that clears the way for the right house.

Questions this story answers

What is a home sale contingency?
It’s a condition in your offer that says you’ll buy only if your current home sells. It protects you from owning two homes, but it makes your offer weaker to a seller.

Can a seller accept another offer after accepting mine?
If your offer is contingent on selling your home, the contract often lets the seller keep marketing it. If another offer comes in, you’ll usually get a short window to remove your contingency or let the home go.

Should I pay for an inspection if my offer depends on selling my home?
You can, but understand the risk. If the seller takes a backup offer before your home sells, that inspection money is gone.

How do I buy a home in Minnesota if my spouse is still out of state?
Use video tours and calls, agree ahead of time on what matters most, and make sure both of you understand every step before you sign. Most paperwork can be signed electronically.

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