how much are the earnest money amounts 
while the buyer and seller can negotiate the earnest money deposit it often ranges between 1 and 2 of the home s purchase price depending on the market in hot housing markets the earnest money deposit might range between 5 and 10 of a property s sale price while the earnest money deposit is often a percentage of the sales price some sellers prefer a fixed amount such as 5 000 or 10 000 of course the higher the earnest money amount the more serious the seller is likely to consider the buyer therefore a buyer should offer a high enough earnest deposit to be accepted but not one so high as to put extra money at risk a seller may also require ongoing periodic earnest deposits to have a prospective buyer continue to show good faith during their due diligence process for example a seller may require a buyer to make monthly earnest deposits on a fixed schedule over a three month due diligence period should the buyer fail to meet any earnest money deposit requirements the seller may be entitled to bring the property back to market and potentially recover losses via keeping portions of the earnest money 