when you write the earnest money check
When you write your earnest money check you want to show the seller that you are serious about buying their house. If it is a $400,000 house you do not want to write a $500 check. It would be more appropriate to write a $5000 check. For a $200,000 house I would want you to write a $2,000 or $3,000 check. Sure you could write a bigger check for an earnest money deposit, but there is an potential issue when doing that.