What Does Contingent Mean? As a general term, contingent means “upon certain conditions being met.” In the context of real estate, it means that the buyer and seller have agreed to the terms of a purchase and sale agreement, but only if certain conditions are met.

A property is contingent when the seller has accepted an offer but keeps the listing active in case the contingencies aren't satisfied. A property is pending when the conditions on a contingent property have been met, and the sale moves toward closing.

There are currently 34,464 homes for sale in Ohio. The median list price in Ohio is $275,000 and the average price per square foot is $155.

If you see the word “contingent” on your listing, it means that your buyer is working through any contingencies that were a part of their offer — like a financing contingency, home inspection contingency, or buyer home sale contingency. We'll talk more about these below.