First and foremost I want to apologize for any redundancy or for the invalidity of my question. I also want to thank those in advance for their time and input.

What I'd like to know is, what protection do buyers have from Real Estate Agents and/or sellers that attempt to overstep them once the value of the property goes up during the closing process? Is it even possible?

We probably need clarification.

1. What do you mean by "overstep"? Default on the contract? I guess I'm wondering what the buyer being protected from.

2. What do you mean by the property value going up during closing? Do you mean, before the final close, the property value increases per a new appraisal or CMA?

Your contract should lock in the sales price. If they want to get out of the contract just because the price has gone up you could potentially sue for liquidated damages- to include your lost equity in the property. It really depends on how your contract reads. The contract might give them another "out" that they can take advantage of. Just hope they're working with a green Realtor who doesn't know the contract well. It all depends on why they are getting out. If they are not clearly within contract for the reason they gave you, I would talk to an attorney.

PS- the best protection is having your own experienced Realtor who has a good understanding of the contract and will write it in such a way to minimize the sellers "outs". A quick closing might also help.