What does active under contract mean? An offer has been accepted, but the seller is still taking backup offers because conditions remain.
Active under contract means a seller has accepted an offer and the home is still listed. The sale is not done: the buyer has conditions left to clear, usually an inspection, an appraisal or a loan approval, and until those are met the deal can fall apart.
Sellers keep the listing visible for exactly that reason. A backup offer costs them nothing and saves weeks if the first buyer walks. So a home in this status is worth a look, and worth asking the listing agent one question: which contingency is still open, and when does it expire.
It is not the same as pending. Pending usually means the conditions are cleared and the file is with escrow, which is a much later and much safer point in the process.
A worked example
A home lists at $425,000, takes an offer on day nine and goes active under contract while the buyer's inspection and appraisal contingencies run. It stays visible, a second buyer writes a backup offer, and when the first buyer's loan is declined on day twenty-two the backup becomes the deal.
Questions people ask
Can you still make an offer on a home that is active under contract?
Yes, as a backup offer. It costs nothing, it takes effect only if the first contract ends, and sellers accept them precisely because the first buyer still has conditions to clear.
What is the difference between active under contract and pending?
Active under contract means an offer is accepted with contingencies still open, so the sale can still fall through. Pending usually means the contingencies are cleared and the file is with escrow, which is much later and much more likely to close.