Help your clients close with confidence.

SecureMyOffer is a special insurance policy that protects home-sellers from the potentially devastating effects of a buyer defaulting on a firm deal. In short, SMO provides your clients with peace of mind, helping sellers  move confidently into their next purchase.  If the buyer defaults, SMO will provide your client with financial support and take over the costly and time-consuming responsibilities of reselling their home and managing the often lengthy legal process that follows a buyer default. Sellers hit with a closing default will thank you for introducing them to Secure My Offer. 

Agents now include SMO as part of their value proposition, showing clients they go beyond marketing — they protect their client by protecting the deal itself. This demonstrates comprehensive client care and risk management expertise.  SMO offers guaranteed issue pre-qualifications to Real Estate Agents who want to include the service as part of their listing presentation service offering.

During the listing presentation. It will be more impactful and potentially offer leverage in gaining trust from the seller immediately by having the sale of their home secure from the start. 

Concern: "My buyer is solid."

Response:  Nobody expects a deal to collapse — until it does. Even qualified buyers can lose financing or face serious negative life events.

Sometimes buyers suddenly fall victim to a default on the closing of their own home sale, triggering a domino effect. This risk increases significantly during periods of economic uncertainty and especially when property values are in a period of fluctuation. 

Concern: "That's what the deposit is for."

Response: Deposits are generally held in trust until both seller and buyer resolve their legal issues arising from the default, a process which can take months or years and cost thousands in legal fees. 

Concern: "We’ve never needed this before." 

Response:  Given today’s economic uncertainty, deposits alone can’t guarantee a seller’s financial security. Their home represents a lifetime of value, and safeguarding the full sale price is crucial

• Just as auto insurance helps a driver recover from a car accident, SMO helps a home seller in the event a buyer walks away from a firm deal.
• A firm offer means all conditions have been removed or satisfied, but it does not guarantee your buyer will actually close. Even firm offers can collapse due to buyer financing issues, job loss, divorce, cold feet, or other events.
• A buyer walking away from a firm deal can cause an immediate financial and emotional disaster for the seller, and lead to a costly legal process lasting months if not years. 
• If the buyer defaults, SMO provides immediate financial support to the seller, and also assumes responsibility for  reselling your home and managing the often lengthy legal process involving the defaulting buyer. 
• SecureMyOffer is an insurance policy that ensures your client will not be financially stranded if the buyer fails to close on time. 
• SecureMyOffer is like insurance for your home sale — if your buyer backs out, you don't lose your sale value or cashout opportunity."

No. It complements them. SMO protects the seller against buyer default. This ensures that your buyer can pay your commission or to restage  (relist?) the house. E&O insurance covers agent errors and omissions. The deposit remains part of the transaction. SMO mitigates the impacts of your client’s not being able to access the deposit funds.

Once the seller obtains SMO insurance, you proceed as usual — SecureMyOffer comes into play only if the buyer defaults. The insurance doesn't appear on title or affect the transaction terms.

SMO can make sellers more confident to accept offers and commit to their next  purchases faster, improving transaction flow and agent reputation. Sellers with SMO protection may be more willing to firm up deals knowing they have additional financial protection. 

This is exactly when SMO becomes most valuable. Sellers who have committed to purchasing their next home are at highest risk if their sale falls through. SMO ensures they have the funds to complete their next purchase even if their buyer defaults.

This  is a strict deadline with no exceptions. The 10-day window exists because the risk of default is highest in the period immediately after an offer becomes firm, before the buyer has fully committed their financing and personal circumstances.

Regulations differ by region, but the general rule is that only licensed insurance experts can give formal insurance advice. Still, you’re fully within your role as a Realtor to inform clients about the availability of the policy.

You may be asked to provide copies of the Agreement of Purchase and Sale, any amendments, correspondence with the buyer or buyer's agent regarding the default, and documentation of the resale process. SMO will work with the seller's lawyer to gather all necessary documentation.

SecureMyOffer can be used strategically by buyers to strengthen their offers, especially in competitive multiple-offer situations. When a buyer includes SMO insurance with their offer, they provide the seller with immediate, guaranteed protection against closing failure — making their offer significantly more attractive than competing offers without SMO protection. This innovative approach transforms SMO from a seller-focused product into a powerful buyer negotiation tool. Your buyer can strengthen their offer without tying up thousands of additional dollars in a deposit trust account.

Buyer Deposit Enhancement is a strategic approach where the buyer purchases SecureMyOffer insurance as part of their offer package. Instead of the seller purchasing SMO after the deal firms up, the buyer proactively includes SMO coverage in their offer, naming the seller as the beneficiary. This immediately signals to the seller that their offer comes with built-in financial protection against buyer default, making it the strongest and most secure offer on the table.

Your client only pays for SMO insurance if their offer is accepted and all conditions are waived.

In multiple-offer situations, sellers are evaluating not just price but also certainty of closing. An offer that includes SMO insurance provides the seller with:

• Immediate financial protection against the buyer's potential default
• Peace of mind that they won't be stranded if the deal falls through
• Faster access to funds (days instead of months) if the buyer can't close
• No legal hassle — SMO handles the recovery process
• Reduced risk compared to offers relying solely on deposits

This makes the buyer's offer stand out as the most secure option, even if competing offers have similar or slightly higher prices. Sellers often choose certainty over a few extra thousand dollars.

Provide the policy to the seller and highlight how the policy provides them additional protection. Explain the commitment your buyer is demonstrating by offering to insure the closing using SMO deposit enhancement explainer sheet. (Click here)

The seller receives the offer knowing that if this buyer defaults, they have immediate insurance coverage — unlike other offers where the seller would need to purchase SMO themselves within 10 days or face unprotected risk.

The buyer agent works with the buyer to:

Option 1

• The buyer or their realtor can visit  https://www.securemyoffer.com/solutions-buyers and complete the online quote and application. The buyer will be able to download and/or print their certificate which includes instructions for the seller to accept the policy (via QR code and information verification.)

Option 2 

• The buyer can offer to purchase the policy once their agreement to purchase is accepted. This can potentially help increase the value of the buyer's offer.

Buyer agents who use SMO as a Buyer Deposit Enhancement strategy gain several competitive advantages:

• Win more offers by providing sellers with superior protection and unrivaled closing assurance
• Differentiate your service from other buyer agents who only focus on price negotiations
• Build stronger relationships with listing agents who appreciate offers that protect their seller clients
• Demonstrate sophistication in risk management and transaction strategy
• Increase client satisfaction by helping buyers secure properties in competitive markets

Create a reputation as an agent who brings the strongest, most secure offers

Buyers who include SMO insurance with their offers benefit from:

• Financial Flexibility - SMO closing insurance may reduce the requirement for a larger cash deposit 
• Competitive edge – make your offer stand out from the rest! 
• Stronger negotiating position — sellers may accept their offer over higher-priced uninsured offers

Demonstrated commitment - showing the seller they are serious and financially prepared to close the purchase

Explain to your buyers that an SMO policy is a strategic tool that increases their chances of winning an offer and reduces their requirement to tie up greater funds in a deposit trust account

"Sellers are looking for the most secure offer, not just the highest price. By including Secure My Offer closing insurance with your offer, you're telling the seller: 'If I can't close for any reason, you're immediately protected and compensated.' This makes your offer the strongest on the table. The cost of SMO ($500-$1,500) is often less than what you'd need to bid extra to win without it, and it significantly increases your chances of being chosen."

SMO premiums are fully earned on binding and are non-refundable. 

When presenting an offer with SMO Buyer Deposit Enhancement, emphasize:

"This buyer has proactively purchased SecureMyOffer insurance naming your seller as the beneficiary which means the buyer is guaranteeing that if they are delayed or default for any reason, your seller receives immediate financial compensation. This is the most secure offer you'll receive because it comes with built-in insurance protection. No other offer provides this level of certainty and peace of mind."

SMO insurance doesn't replace the deposit, but enhances it. SMO is a win-win for both buyers and sellers. The buyer maintains financial flexibility by reducing the deposit required to demonstrate their commitment. The seller is guaranteed immediate cash in hand, even if the buyer defaults.

Yes. Buyers who might be perceived as higher risk can use SMO to offset seller concerns. By providing insurance protection, the buyer demonstrates that even if something goes wrong, the seller is protected. This can level the playing field.

SecureMyOffer is quickly becoming an industry norm but presents an opportunity for early adopters. As with any competitive advantage, early adopters benefit most. Agents who implement Buyer Deposit Enhancement now will:

• Establish expertise before it becomes common practice
• Build a reputation as innovators in buyer representation
• Win more offers while the strategy is still novel
• Educate the market and become known as the SMO expert

As SMO  becomes widespread, it remains effective because your buyers don’t want to be the only offer not providing seller protection.

Using SMO as a Buyer Deposit Enhancement strategy is fully compliant with RECO regulations as long as:

• Full disclosure is provided to all parties about the insurance coverage
• No misrepresentation is made about the coverage terms or benefits
• Proper documentation is included with the offer
• Client's best interests are prioritized in recommending this strategy
• No undisclosed conflicts exist in recommending SMO

As always, ensure your recommendations serve your client's interests and are presented with full transparency.

Steps to implement Buyer Deposit Enhancement:

1. Explain the strategy to buyer clients
2. Use Buyerside Worksheet for manual creation of the document ,visit quote.SecureMyOffer.com to generate an offer.  or call 1(833)763-2329
3. Present to listing agents make sure the Selling Agent understands the value of SMO-enhanced offers
4. Win the offer!

This innovative approach positions Secure My Offer as a powerful tool for both sellers and buyers, creating a win-win scenario where sellers get superior protection and buyers get a competitive edge in tough markets.