Your earnest money check doesn't go directly into your seller's hands. Rather, it gets deposited into an escrow account until your real estate transaction is complete. If all goes well, your earnest money amount will be taken from your escrow funds and applied to your home's down payment or closing costs when you finalize your mortgage. As such, if you're serious about the home you're looking to buy, you can think of your earnest money as a means of prepaying some of the expenses you'll be liable for anyway. Your earnest money can come in the form of a personal check, but in some cases, your seller might insist on a cashier’s check.