Buying a home-In a bidding war? Do you know what an escalation clause is? Lately many homes have sold in "bidding wars" which means there are several offers on the property you are trying to purchase. An escalation clause tells the seller you are willing to pay, let's say, $1,000 over what any other buyers are offering with a maximum price of which you are not willing to go over. This way you will hopefully outbid the other person and not pay more for the property than you might have had to. Good luck!