What Happens Between Offer Acceptance and Closing Day

Your offer was accepted — congratulations. Now a process begins, often around 30 to 45 days, that involves inspections, an appraisal, underwriting, and a lot of paperwork. Your contract sets the actual dates. Here is what to expect at each stage, with notes on how it works in California, where a neutral escrow company runs the closing.

Escrow opens, and in California you typically wire your deposit to the escrow company within 3 business days of acceptance; confirm wiring instructions by phone at a number you looked up yourself. Schedule your home inspection within the first few days, plus any specialty inspections (sewer line, roof, termite, or chimney). Start reviewing the seller's disclosures: in California these include the Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS), the Seller Property Questionnaire (SPQ), and the Natural Hazard Disclosure. Get homeowners insurance quotes now, because in some wildfire areas coverage takes time to find and may involve the California FAIR Plan. Your lender orders the appraisal.

The appraiser visits the property and delivers their report. Your lender submits your file to underwriting, which verifies your income, employment, assets, credit, and the appraisal. Respond to any requests from your lender quickly; missing documents are a common cause of delays. Do not open new credit, change jobs, or make large unexplained deposits without talking to your lender first. In California, the standard contract gives you 17 days for most contingencies unless you agreed to different dates, and you remove them in writing. Remove a contingency only once you are comfortable with what it covers, because your deposit is more at risk afterward.

Underwriting reviews your file. If it approves the loan, the approval usually comes with conditions: a list of remaining items (updated pay stubs, explanations for deposits, and so on). Once every condition is satisfied, the lender issues "clear to close." You must receive your Closing Disclosure at least 3 business days before you sign your loan documents; compare it line by line with your Loan Estimate and ask about anything that changed.

In California there is usually no single closing-table meeting. You sign your loan and escrow documents with an escrow officer or notary, often a few days before the closing date, and wire your remaining funds to escrow. Your lender then funds the loan, and the deed is recorded with the county; escrow "closes" when it records. Do your final walkthrough beforehand — the standard California contract allows it within 5 days before closing — to confirm the home's condition and any agreed repairs. You typically get the keys once the deed records, unless your contract says otherwise. Expect a supplemental property tax bill from the county a few months later, separate from your regular bill.

• ✓The process often takes around 30 to 45 days, but your contract sets the dates
• ✓In California, your deposit goes to escrow within 3 business days, and you remove contingencies in writing
• ✓Respond to lender requests quickly and avoid new credit or job changes until closing
• ✓Review your Closing Disclosure carefully; it arrives at least 3 business days before you sign
• ✓In California you sign before the closing date and get keys after the deed records
• ✓Confirm any wiring instructions by phone before sending money