What Does Active Status Mean in Real Estate Listings?

When you’re searching for your dream home, you’ll likely come across a realm of jargon-y terms meant to describe a home’s status on or off (or on its way off) the market. You’ll find that even if a home is listed as “active,” its status likely includes another status to indicate where the home is in the process of being listed and sold. It may all sounds confusing, but it doesn’t have to be.

In this Redfin article, we’ll tell you what active status means in real estate listings. Whether you’re buying a home in Phoenix, AZ, or Boston, MA, learn how to interpret different types of “active” home statuses and what they mean about the home’s availability or lack thereof.

What does it mean when a house is active?

Most of the properties listed in the multiple listing service (MLS), the database where real estate agents list homes for sale, will have an active status. That’s because an active status means that the home is currently available for sale. However, there are several types of active statuses, and their usage and definitions can vary by market. Your real estate agent can help you interpret the various types of active statuses in your market, but to get started, here are some definitions of the most common active statuses:

If you see a property with an “active contingent” status, it means that the seller has received an offer from a potential buyer, but there are conditions that the buyer must meet before the sale may be finalized. That may mean the buyer must be approved for financing and get their mortgage or a home inspection must be completed. The contingent status is removed once these conditions are met. In some areas, the active contingent status is also used when the buyer must sell their current property before purchasing another home. In other areas, different statuses are used for this scenario, such as active with contingencies, bumpable, bump clause, active kick-out, or active – first right.

When you see a property listed with “active – first right” status, it means that the seller has a prior agreement with a prospective buyer. This buyer has an opportunity to match any subsequent offers. As mentioned above, “active – first right” may also indicate that the buyer must sell their current property before purchasing the home in question.

Active kick-out

The “active kick-out” status is another term used to indicate that the seller has accepted an offer, but the sale is contingent on the buyer being able to sell his or her current property before proceeding with the sale. The “kick-out” part of the status means that the seller can continue to market the home. And depending on the terms of the “kick out” clause, if they find another qualified buyer, the seller can actually kick the first buyer out of the contract for failing to move forward with the purchase process within a defined period of time.

An “active – no-show” status indicates that the property is currently available for sale. However, the seller has specified that the property may not be toured during specific time periods.

When you see the “active option contract” status, it indicates that the seller has accepted an offer, but it falls within the option period. That means that the buyer has a specified number of days to have the property inspected. In some areas, an active option contract is called a contingency period or due diligence period.

The “active with contingencies” status means that the seller has accepted an offer from a buyer, but the buyer must meet certain conditions before the sale may proceed. Similar to the active contingent status, this status is commonly used when the buyer must sell their current property before purchasing the home. This may be called “active CAPA” in some areas, which means “can pursue purchase agreement.”

When you’re searching for a new home, you’ll want to look for homes with an active status. However, you might find the home of your dreams with one of the above status designations. If you’ve fallen in love with a home that is contingent or pending, you should get in touch with a real estate agent right away to explore your options for making an offer.