What happens after you accept an offer?
You said yes. Now there are thirty to forty-five days of other people's work, with a few deadlines that are yours. Here is the order it happens in.
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Thirty to forty-five days · every deadline, in order · free to read
The short answer.
The buyer's deposit goes into escrow. Their inspector visits and they may ask for repairs. Their lender orders an appraisal. The title company clears the title. The lender approves the loan. Then everybody signs, the loan funds, the deed is recorded, and you get paid, usually a day or two after signing.
For a buyer with a mortgage, thirty to forty-five days is the usual stretch. A cash buyer can close in two weeks. Your contract sets the exact dates, and the inspection window is the first one to watch.
The order it happens in.
Each one opens the full guide behind it, free.
- The earnest money goes inWithin a few days. The buyer's deposit goes to the title company or an escrow holder, not to you. It sits there until closing.Read the guide
- The buyer's inspectionFirst 7 to 14 days. An inspector goes through the house for a few hours. Then the buyer asks for repairs, a credit, or nothing, and you answer within the contract's window.Read the guide
- The appraisalWeeks 2 to 4. If the buyer has a mortgage, their lender sends an appraiser. If the number comes back under the price, the contract says what happens next.Read the guide
- The title workWeeks 1 to 4. The title company searches the records, clears anything on the title, and writes the insurance. Most of this happens without you.Read the guide
- The buyer's loanWeeks 3 to 6. The lender completes underwriting and, if its conditions are met, issues a clear to close. Financing problems can still affect the sale during this stretch.Read the guide
- The final walk-through and closingThe last few days. The buyer walks through once more, you sign, the lender funds, the deed gets recorded, and the money lands.Read the guide
What is yours, and what can go wrong.
Most of this stretch is other people working. These are the parts that are not.
Yours to do
- Answer the repair request inside the contract's window. Missing it can mean agreeing by default.
- Let people in. The inspector, the appraiser, and the buyer's final walk-through all need the door open.
- Send the title company what it asks for. Your payoff information, your ID, and where to send the money.
- Keep the house as it was. What the buyer saw is what they are buying. Fixtures stay unless the contract says otherwise.
What can go wrong
- The inspection finds something big. You negotiate, or the buyer walks and usually keeps their deposit.
- The appraisal comes in low. The contract says who covers the gap, or whether either side can leave.
- The loan is denied. Some accepted offers don't reach closing. Your Room keeps your work if you need to start a new sale for the same home.
- A wire email that isn't from the title company. Call the number you already have before sending money anywhere.
How much is left.
An example sale with the offer just accepted. Your Room draws yours from your own dates, and opens on the step in front of you.
- Getting readyMarch into April
- Decide how you're sellingDone March 2Done
- Work out a priceDone March 14Done
- Get the house readyDone April 1Done
- Take the photosDone April 6Done
- On the marketApril into May
- List your homeDone April 11Done
- Show people aroundDone April 18Done
- Look at offersDone May 2Done
- Under contractMay into June
- The buyer's inspectionNowNow
- Title workAround May 18Later
- The appraisalAround May 24Later
- The buyer's loanAround June 4Later
- ClosingJune
- The final walk-throughAround June 12Later
- Closing dayAround June 14Later
Getting ready
March into AprilOn the market
April into MayUnder contract
May into JuneClosing
JuneAn example sale, not anybody's. Your Room draws your own dates.
Every one of these deadlines, on one calendar.
Put the contract dates into your Room and the inspection response, the appraisal, the walk-through and closing day all sit in one place, with the papers beside them. Keighbor never reads or interprets your contract: the dates are the ones you put in.
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