In-portal Earnest Money Deposits are here

What is an earnest money deposit?

Also known as a good faith deposit, earnest money is a part of most real estate transactions. As with almost every aspect of traditional property transactions, earnest money deposits are more clunky than they need to be—until now.

We’re excited to introduce a new feature that will improve the earnest money process for both buyers and sellers: in-portal earnest money deposits.

Typically, when a deal involves earnest money, buyers have 3 options:

• send the deposit via wire transfer,
• send a check or give the check to the realtor to hold,
• or use the Earnnest app.

Standard practices of ACH transfer, wire, or check often leave the seller in the dark as to if/when the earnest money has been collected. This adds time and uncertainty to the process. It’s not much better for the buyer, who may receive deposit instructions through a variety of channels, creating delays, confusion, and opening the door to fraud. Using a third-party tool like Earnnest isn’t perfect either, as it requires an additional third-party contact that adds time to the process.

Empora’s New In-Portal Earnest Money Deposits: A Faster, Safer, and More Organized Way to Pay

We’ve simplified the process by bringing earnest money deposits into the Empora portal. Starting with deals created on or after May 3, buyers can submit earnest funds directly through their Empora account in less than two minutes. Our new in-portal earnest money deposits functionality saves time, improves security, and keeps your transactions more organized. Here’s a look at how the process is changing for buyers working with Empora:

What to expect if you are the buyer:

Choose how to deposit earnest money as soon as the deal is submitted

• Old process: You wait for your Empora client success manager (CSM) to reach out about earnest money.
• New process: As soon as the deal is submitted in our portal and we know the earnest money amount, we will generate a task for you to select how you’d like to submit the earnest money.

When using ACH (most cost effective):

• Old process: You wait for Empora to reach out for the earnest money payment. To use ACH you need to use another app called Earnnest.
• New process: Everything happens in your Empora portal. When you choose to pay through Empora’s portal, you can log in to your bank account directly and securely submit earnest money using an ACH transaction. The transaction is reflected in your account information page. For future transactions, you can use the same account or add a new account.

When using a wire or check:

• Old process: We send the instructions to you and upload them in the portal.
• New process:
  • Wire:  You can immediately download Empora Title’s wire instructions as soon as you make this choice.
  • Drop off a check: We will ask whether the realtor is holding the check or if you want to drop it off. Either way, you will be able to view and download instructions to pay with a check.

When Empora has received the money in escrow account

• Old process: Empora sends a follow up message to confirm that we have received the money in escrow. Regardless of which option is chosen, there is a delay before funds are credited. Your CSM will confirm the receipt of funds.
• New process: No change

What to expect if you are on the deal, but not a buyer

• Old process: There are no instant updates when the buyer deposits earnest money.
• New process: We confirm the earnest money delivery method as soon as the buyer completes the activity. Now you’ll know what earnest money deposit method was chosen, and if/when a digital payment was submitted.

Preview the new interface:

This is just the beginning

By removing the speed bump of a third-party app and allowing buyers to make earnest money deposits directly through their Empora portal, we’re improving transparency and clearing the path to close.

Our entire business was born out of the desire to ease pain points during the closing portion of real estate transactions. We’re committed to saving our clients time, money, and headache. Expect more changes to come as we continue to build the premier title and closing platform in the industry!

Why work with Empora?

If you’re new to Empora, check out our product page for a deeper dive into how we’re doing title and closing differently. The bottom line is that we’re interested in helping you build your business by streamlining the title and closing process. We’ve automated antiquated manual processes and removed legacy fees that you typically see in closing, saving our clients up to 30% on closing costs. Request a demo to find out how much we could save you.