When you buy a home in Columbus, Powell, Dublin, or Westerville, everybody gets excited about price… but the real protection lives in the fine print: contingencies. These little contract clauses are what stand between you and writing a huge check for a house that doesn’t appraise, doesn’t inspect well, or doesn’t get financed. Let’s unpack how they actually work in Central Ohio.

1. What a Contingency Is (Plain English, Not Legalese)

A contingency is basically a “this deal only moves forward if X happens” clause in your contract.

Common examples in Columbus, Upper Arlington, New Albany, Lewis Center, and Delaware:

• You get your loan approved

• The home appraises for at least the purchase price

• The inspection results are acceptable to you

• Your current home sells (for move-up buyers)

If the condition isn’t met and we’re inside the agreed timeline, you usually have the right to renegotiate or walk away with your earnest money intact. It’s your built-in parachute.

2. The Big Three: Inspection, Appraisal, Financing

Most offers around Central Ohio hinge on these:

• Inspection contingency

  You get a set number of days (often 7–10) to inspect the home in Dublin, Powell, Westerville, etc. If serious issues pop up, we can:

  • Ask for repairs

  • Request a credit

  • Renegotiate price

  • Walk away if it’s just not worth it

• Appraisal contingency

  Protects you if the home in, say, New Albany or Upper Arlington appraises below the contract price. You’re not forced to overpay if the bank says it’s worth less.

• Financing contingency

  Says the deal is contingent on you getting your loan. If you do everything in good faith and still can’t get final approval, this is what may keep you from losing your earnest money.

3. Strong Offer vs. Protected Offer: Finding the Balance

In a competitive situation—like a hot listing in Dublin, Powell, or Westerville—you’ll hear about buyers “waiving contingencies” to stand out. That can mean:

• Shortening inspection periods

• Agreeing to cover part of an appraisal gap

• Tightening financing timelines

What I’m not a fan of: buyers blindly waiving every protection just to “win.” My job is to help you look aggressive to the seller while still having guardrails that make sense for your budget and risk tolerance.

4. Timelines Matter More Than Most Buyers Realize

Every contingency has a clock attached:

• Inspection might be due in 7–10 days

• Appraisal usually has to be completed by a certain date

• Financing has milestone dates leading up to final approval

If you miss these deadlines on a home in Lewis Center, Westerville, or Delaware, you can accidentally lose your leverage—or, in the worst case, your earnest money. I live in those dates and keep you ahead of them so nothing slips through the cracks.

5. How I Help You Use Contingencies as Strategy, Not Just Fine Print

Contingencies aren’t just legal boilerplate; they’re negotiation tools:

• We decide which protections are non-negotiable for you.

• We tailor timelines to fit the reality of lenders, inspectors, and the specific property.

• In multiple-offer situations, we adjust where we can be flexible—and where we absolutely won’t.

Whether you’re buying in Columbus, Powell, Dublin, Evans Farm, Westerville, Upper Arlington, New Albany, Lewis Center, or Delaware, the goal is simple: write offers that are competitive and smart, so you can sleep at night while you’re under contract.

If you’re thinking about buying and want to know which contingencies you should (and should not) mess with in today’s market, that’s exactly the kind of strategy session we should be having before you start making offers.

[Contact Patrick Murphy, REALTOR® — Columbus, Powell & Dublin Expert]