Real estate transactions, while intended to culminate in a completed sale, are subject to potential failures between the offer acceptance and the final closing. This frequency of these failures, representing the proportion of accepted offers that do not result in a closed deal, varies based on a multitude of market factors. For instance, if ten accepted offers exist, and one does not proceed to closing, the failure rate is ten percent.
Understanding the rate at which these agreements dissolve is crucial for both buyers and sellers. Sellers can better gauge the reliability of a pending sale and plan accordingly, mitigating potential financial repercussions from a deal collapsing. Buyers gain insights into the stability of their purchase agreement and the likelihood of needing to restart their property search. Historically, this rate has fluctuated with economic cycles, interest rate shifts, and changes in lending practices. During periods of economic instability or rapidly rising interest rates, this rate tends to increase.