Earnest Money in King County: How Much You Need in 2026

The first time most buyers hear the words earnest money is about five minutes before they write their first offer. Then they find out it’s a five-figure check. The questions start fast after that. Here’s the honest breakdown of how earnest money works in King County, how much you actually need, and how to get it back if the deal falls apart.

What Earnest Money Actually Is

Earnest money is a deposit you send with your offer to show the seller you’re serious. The money sits in an escrow account with a neutral third party, and if the sale closes, it gets credited toward your down payment and closing costs. You were going to pay it anyway. The deposit just moves part of it up front.

The catch is what happens if the sale doesn’t close. Depending on how your offer is written, that money either comes back to you or goes to the seller. That’s the entire game. The amount gets you taken seriously. The contingencies decide who keeps it.

How Much Earnest Money You Need in King County

The convention here is 1 to 3 percent of the purchase price. King County’s median sale price is running around $870,000 right now, which puts a typical deposit anywhere from roughly $9,000 to $26,000. At South King County price points, think Kent, Auburn, or Federal Way, a 1 to 2 percent deposit on a $600,000 to $700,000 home lands in the $6,000 to $14,000 range.

At the county’s $870K median, 1 to 3 percent means roughly $9,000 to $26,000. South King County price points often land at $6,000 to $14,000.

Do you need to push toward the high end? Usually not right now. The county is sitting at more than 15 weeks of housing supply, and only about 12 percent of new listings even set an offer review date this month. In that market, a clean, well-priced offer with a standard deposit gets taken seriously. Two years ago buyers were oversizing deposits to win bidding wars. On most homes today, you don’t need to.

How Buyers Actually Lose Earnest Money

Those protections are contingencies written into your offer. The inspection contingency lets you walk away, deposit in hand, if the inspection turns up problems. The financing contingency protects you if your loan falls through. The title contingency protects you if the seller can’t deliver clean ownership. A low appraisal gets handled through the financing contingency in Washington, which is one more reason not to give that one up casually.

Waive those, and your deposit is exposed. Miss a contractual deadline, same thing. The offer terms matter more than the offer amount. I walk through how to structure this in my contingent offer guide for King County.

Before You Wire a Five-Figure Deposit

Wire fraud is real in real estate, and the deposit wire is the moment scammers target. Run through this list every time:

1. Get wiring instructions directly from the escrow company, never from an email link
2. Call escrow at a phone number you looked up yourself to verify the account details
3. Confirm the deposit amount and due date in your purchase contract
4. Know your contingency deadlines before the money moves
5. Keep the wire receipt and confirmation from escrow

What This Means for Your First Offer

Budget 1 to 3 percent. Keep your contingencies unless there’s a specific, strategic reason not to. And treat any advice to waive protections in today’s market with real suspicion. With over 15 weeks of supply sitting on the market, you have more negotiating room than buyers have had in years. Use it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is earnest money refundable in Washington state?

Usually, yes, as long as your offer keeps its contingencies and you meet your deadlines. If the deal dies through your inspection, financing, or title contingency, the deposit comes back to you. If you waive those protections or miss contractual deadlines and then walk away, the seller can keep it.

Is earnest money part of the down payment?

Effectively, yes. The deposit sits in escrow during the transaction, and at closing it gets credited toward your down payment and closing costs. It isn’t an extra cost on top of the purchase. It’s part of the money you were already bringing, paid earlier.

How much earnest money is normal in King County in 2026?

One to 3 percent of the purchase price. On the county’s median sale price of about $870,000, that’s roughly $9,000 to $26,000. At South King County price points, a 1 to 2 percent deposit often lands between $6,000 and $14,000. With today’s supply levels, most buyers don’t need to go above the standard range unless they’re competing on a multiple-offer home.

Gregory Dorrell is a licensed real estate broker (WA License #111862) with Coldwell Banker Bain. Market data from NWMLS, week of July 13, 2026. This post is general information, not legal or financial advice. Review your purchase contract with your broker or attorney.