What does a seller seek when asking for reimbursement of costs incurred due to a buyer's default?

When a seller seeks reimbursement for costs incurred due to a buyer's default, they are typically looking for actual damages. Actual damages refer to the compensation for losses directly resulting from the breach of contract. In the context of real estate transactions, these might include costs such as lost wages, additional marketing expenses to find a new buyer, or storage fees for property that was intended to be sold.

Actual damages are meant to put the seller in the position they would have been in had the buyer fulfilled their contractual obligations. This concept is based on the principle of compensating the non-breaching party for the real, quantifiable losses experienced due to the default.

The other options do not specifically align with the seller's objective in this scenario. Punitive damages are intended to punish the wrongdoer rather than to compensate for loss, specific performance is a legal remedy that compels a party to execute a contract according to its terms rather than providing monetary compensation, and restitution seeks to restore the injured party to the position they were in before the contract was made, which may not necessarily cover the actual losses incurred from the buyer's default.