Definition
Bumpable Buyer
Also called: bump clause, kick-out clause, BMP, bumpable offer
A bumpable buyer is a buyer whose accepted offer is contingent on selling their own home under a bump clause: the seller keeps marketing the property, and if a better offer arrives the first buyer gets a short deadline, commonly 24–72 hours, to drop the contingency or be bumped out of the contract.
The clause solves a seller's problem: a contingent offer ties up the house for weeks while the buyer tries to sell theirs. With a bump clause the seller stays on the market, and if a stronger offer comes in, often a cash offer with no sale contingency, the seller serves written notice. The first buyer must then either waive the contingency (and prove they can close without the sale) or release the contract and get their deposit back. In the Regional Multiple Listing Service covering the Portland and southwest Washington market, a listing with an accepted contingent offer of this kind shows the status BMP, which is why the term appears in listing data there.
For sellers weighing a cash offer, the mechanics cut two ways. If you already accepted a contingent offer, a bump clause is what lets you entertain a cash buyer at all; without one you are stuck until the contingency expires or the contract is cancelled. If you are the cash buyer's target, a clean, non-contingent offer is exactly what bumps a contingent buyer, which is why sellers holding a contingent contract are worth approaching.
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