Contingent means the seller has accepted an offer, but certain conditions need to be met before the sale closes. This means there's still a chance that the sale could fall through and the house goes back on the market, should those conditions go unmet.

The difference is that contingent listings still need to meet one or more specific conditions before moving forward. With pending deals, conditions have been met, and both parties are planning to move forward to closing. As a buyer, you may be able to make a backup offer on a listing that's under contract.

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.

Once you have assured that REALTOR® is the correct word, the rules governing the proper form for the term apply to distinguish for the audience the significance of the term REALTOR® from the words surrounding it.