What happens after your offer is accepted
The stretch between "they accepted" and "you have keys" is where most of the anxiety lives, largely because nobody explains the order of events. Here it is.
1. Escrow opens
A neutral third party takes your deposit and holds it. Escrow's job is to make sure money and title change hands at the same moment and only when every condition has been met - it works for the transaction, not for either side.
Your deposit is at risk only in specific circumstances, and those are defined by the contingencies below.
2. Inspections
You hire an inspector. They will find things - they always find things, on every house, including new ones. The report is not a verdict on whether to buy; it is information you can act on, including by requesting repairs or a credit.
Depending on the property this may also mean a termite/pest inspection, a roof or sewer inspection, or a geological look where a lot sits on a slope. We will tell you which are worth it for your specific property rather than ordering everything by default.
3. Disclosures
The seller provides a package covering what they know about the property, plus a Natural Hazard Disclosure covering flood, fire and seismic zones. In much of the Inland Empire this is also where Mello-Roos and other special assessments appear.
Read this package. It is dull and it is the single most informative thing you will receive. If something in it is unclear, that is what we are for. More on Mello-Roos →
4. Appraisal
If you are financing, your lender orders an independent appraisal to confirm the property is worth what they are lending against. If it comes in below the purchase price, you have a decision - renegotiate, make up the difference, or walk, depending on your contingencies.
5. Loan underwriting
The slowest and least visible step, and the usual reason a closing date moves. Underwriting will ask for documents, and then sometimes ask again for the same documents in a different format. This is normal and not a sign anything is wrong.
The single most useful thing you can do here: respond fast, and change nothing about your finances. No new credit cards, no financing a car, no large unexplained deposits, no changing jobs if it can wait. Any of those can re-open an approval that was already granted. What you'll be asked for →
6. Contingency removal
Contingencies are your exit routes - typically inspection, appraisal and loan. Each has a deadline in your contract. Once removed, your deposit is genuinely at risk if you walk, so these dates matter more than any other dates in the transaction.
Contract periods vary; yours are in your contract and we will tell you what they are and when they are approaching. Nobody should ever be surprised by a contingency deadline.
7. Final walkthrough
Shortly before closing you see the property again - confirming agreed repairs were done and that nothing has changed since you were last there.
8. Signing, funding, recording
You sign at escrow or with a notary. Your lender wires funds. The deed records with the county - and recording is the moment ownership actually transfers, not signing. Keys usually follow the same day.
What we do during all of this
Track every deadline, chase the parties who go quiet, translate what the lender is actually asking for, and tell you when something genuinely needs your attention versus when it is routine. Most of this you should never have to think about.
If you are mid-transaction with us and want to know where things stand, call 619-987-6543. You will never be bothering us by asking.
Questions about your transaction?
We will tell you what we think it will sell for and how we got there - including when that is less than you hoped.
What's your home worth? Looking to buy?
Already working with us? Guides and what happens next →