When you make an offer, you typically include earnest money — a deposit that signals you intend to follow through. It isn’t an extra fee: the funds are held in a neutral escrow account (commonly at the title company) and credited toward your down payment or closing costs when the sale closes. If the deal closes, it works in your favor. If the deal falls through, what happens to the deposit depends on the contingencies and terms written into your purchase agreement, which is why those terms matter. The escrow holder releases it only as the contract directs.