Many states, including Texas, California, Illinois, and Massachusetts, recognize escalation clauses as a matter of contract law.
Yes. Given that the enforceability of such a contract is not 100% assured, and given the potential pitfalls as discussed in the previous questions, the buyer should be advised to speak with their own legal counsel prior to making such an offer.
However, buyers need to be careful with these clauses as they can sometimes backfire. “An escalation clause needs to be in conjunction with a really good offer,” said Madani of Room Real Estate. “It's really the whole package to get your offer accepted.”
The reason why sellers don't want escalation clauses is simple: It introduces the risk that they'll sell the house for less than what would be your best and final offer.
Escalation clauses in my area are very common and have been quite successful, but $1000 is pretty much the standard.