What happens after you accept an offer on your house?
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.
Keighbor holds these thirty to forty-five days for you, one deadline at a time.
Free to set up. No credit card. Nothing starts a clock.
Thirty to forty-five days · every deadline, in order
Why this page existsThe stretch between a signed offer and closing has the most deadlines and the least explanation.
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.
- 1
The earnest money goes in Within a few days
The buyer's deposit goes to the title company or an escrow holder, not to you. It sits there until closing.
- 2
The buyer's inspection First 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.
- 3
The appraisal Weeks 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.
- 4
The title work Weeks 1 to 4
The title company searches the records, clears anything on the title, and writes the insurance. Most of this happens without you.
- 5
The buyer's loan Weeks 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.
- 6
The final walk-through and closing The last few days
The buyer walks through once more, you sign, the lender funds, the deed gets recorded, and the money lands.
What is 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.
General information, not a read on your contract
Keighbor is a software company, not a law firm, brokerage, or tax adviser. This is general information, not legal, tax, financial, or real estate advice about your sale. Your situation may differ. Before acting on a contract, disclosure, title, tax, or pricing question, ask an appropriately licensed professional in your state.
One piece of your sale. Here is where all the pieces live.
Every one of these deadlines, on one calendar.
Add contract dates to your Keighbor calendar so the inspection response, appraisal, walk-through, and closing stay in one place. Keighbor doesn't read or interpret your contract.
Words on this page
Where to go from here
How long the whole sale takesThis stretch is one of four. See them all, and plan back from a date.
Your estimated sale proceedsClosing costs, the payoff, and the number that lands after all this.
Reviewing offers and negotiatingThe guide for the step before this page.
What paperwork your state needsThe documents that get signed at the end of this stretch.