From Offer to Keys: What Happens After Your Offer Is Accepted

Trimark Realty·December 2, 2025·Home Buyer Resources·8 min·

You found a home you love, wrote an offer, and it got accepted – congratulations! 🎉 Now the big question most buyers have is: what happens next?

In Southern California, once your offer is accepted, you enter a structured phase called escrow. This is where inspections, appraisal, disclosures, loan approval, and a lot of signatures happen before you finally get the keys.

At Trimark Realty, we guide buyers through this process every day across Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Below is a clear, step-by-step breakdown of what typically happens from offer to keys.

Step 1: Escrow Opens and Your Earnest Money Is Due

Typical timeline: Within 1–3 business days of acceptance (depending on your contract or seller counteroffer)

Once your offer is accepted, the signed purchase agreement is sent to an escrow company. Escrow is a neutral third party that:

Holds your earnest money deposit
Follows the instructions in the purchase contract and the counteroffers
Coordinates with the lender and title company
Makes sure all conditions are met before money and ownership change hands

You’ll then send your earnest money deposit, which is often around 1–3% of the purchase price (your contract will spell this out). This shows the seller you are serious and committed to the purchase.

Important: Always call and verify wire instructions directly with the escrow company using a known, trusted phone number to avoid wire fraud.

Step 2: Loan Application and Lender Paperwork

Timeline: Immediately after acceptance

If you’re getting a loan, you’ll move from being pre-approved to a full loan application for this specific property. Your lender may ask you for:

Updated pay stubs and bank statements
Tax returns or W-2s (if not already provided)
Letters of explanation if anything has changed financially

Your lender will also order an appraisal (more on that below) and send you initial disclosures that outline your estimated monthly payment and closing costs.

Tip: During this time, avoid opening new credit lines, financing big purchases, or changing jobs if possible. These can all affect your final loan approval.

Step 3: The Inspection Period – Checking the Home’s Condition

Typical timeline: Often 7–17 days for buyer inspections (negotiable in the contract)

During your contingency period, you’ll schedule inspections to understand the true condition of the home. Common inspections in California include:

General home inspection – the overall condition of the home
Termite / wood-destroying pest inspection
Roof inspection (especially if the roof is older)
Sewer line inspection (often recommended for older homes)
Specialty inspections like foundation, mold, or pool/spa, if needed

Your inspector will provide a written report with findings. From there, you and your agent can decide whether to:

Request repairs
Ask the seller for a credit instead of repairs
Proceed as-is
Cancel under your inspection contingency if major issues are uncovered (within the allowed time frame)

Step 4: Appraisal – Does the Home Value Match the Price?

If you’re using a loan, your lender will order an appraisal to verify that the home’s value supports the purchase price.

The appraiser visits the property, reviews recent comparable sales, and issues an appraised value. There are three common outcomes:

Appraisal at or above purchase price:
Great news – you move forward without changes based on value.
Appraisal below purchase price
This can trigger new negotiations, such as:
- Asking the seller to reduce the price
- Meeting in the middle (both sides adjust)
- Buyer bringing in extra cash if they still want the home at the agreed price
Unique situations or appraisal conditions
Sometimes the appraiser may require repairs before closing or need more information.
Your agent and lender will help navigate these.

Step 5: Title Search and Seller Disclosures

While inspections and appraisal are moving forward, the title company and seller are also doing their part behind the scenes.

Title search

The title company will:

Confirm who legally owns the property
Check for liens, unpaid taxes, or other claims
Review easements and recorded restrictions

You’ll receive a preliminary title report to review. The goal is to make sure you receive clear, insurable title at closing.

Seller disclosures

California requires sellers to provide detailed disclosures about the property. Common forms include:

Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS)
Seller Property Questionnaire (SPQ)
Natural Hazard Disclosure (NHD)
HOA documents, if applicable (CC&Rs, rules, financials, and meeting minutes)

These documents can reveal important information about previous repairs, neighborhood factors, HOA rules, and more. If new information changes how you feel about the property, you may have options within your contingency timelines.

Step 6: Contingency Removal – Committing to Move Forward

The standard California purchase contract includes several contingencies that protect you as the buyer, such as:

Inspection / property condition contingency
Appraisal contingency
Loan contingency

As each major step is completed (inspections reviewed, appraisal received, loan looking solid), you’ll sign forms to remove those contingencies. This is a key milestone.

Once contingencies are removed, your earnest money becomes more at risk if you later cancel for a reason not covered by the contract. Before removing contingencies, make sure you’re comfortable with:

The property’s condition
The appraised value
Your monthly payment and total funds needed to close

At Trimark Realty, we stay in close communication with you and your lender at every stage to help ensure it’s the right time and the right move to remove your contingencies..

Step 7: Final Loan Approval and Loan Documents

After underwriting reviews your file, appraisal, and property information, your lender issues a final loan approval, often called a “clear to close.”

Then a few things happen in sequence:

Closing Disclosure (CD)
You’ll receive a Closing Disclosure outlining your final interest rate, monthly payment, and closing costs.
Loan documents
The lender sends loan docs to escrow, and you’ll sign them with a notary (either in person or via mobile notary, depending on what’s available).
Final lender review
After you sign, the lender does a final review and prepares to fund your loan.

Step 8: Final Walk-Through of the Property

Typical timing: Within the last 3–5 days before closing

The final walk-through is your chance to confirm that the home is in substantially the same condition as when you made the offer. During the walk-through, you’ll:

Check that agreed-upon repairs have been completed
Confirm that appliances or fixtures included in the contract are present
Look for any new damage or issues that may have occurred during move-out

If something is not right, your agent can work with the seller’s side to resolve it, often through repairs, a credit, or an adjustment at closing.

Step 9: Wiring Your Final Funds and Closing Escrow

As closing day approaches, escrow will provide a final settlement statement that shows:

Purchase price
Credits and prorations
Loans and deposits
Total cash to close you need to bring in

Next steps:

Wire your funds to escrow
You send your remaining down payment and closing costs via wire transfer. Always verify instructions by phone.
Lender funds the loan
Once everything is signed and cleared, your lender sends the loan funds to escrow.
Recording with the county
After funds are in, escrow sends the deed to be recorded with the county. When recording is confirmed, the home is officially yours.

Step 10: Getting the Keys 🎉

In most transactions, you receive the keys on the day of recording, unless your contract includes a special arrangement such as a seller rent-back.

Once you have the keys, it’s time to:

Change or rekey the locks
Set up utilities (electric, gas, water, trash, internet)
Update your mailing address
Start planning your move-in and any immediate projects

How Long Does the Process Take?

A typical financed purchase in California often closes in about 25–40 days from offer acceptance, depending on:

Lender speed and underwriting
Appraisal scheduling and results
Inspection timelines and any repairs
How quickly HOA documents and disclosures are delivered

Cash purchases can sometimes close significantly faster because there is no loan approval process.

How Trimark Realty Helps You from Offer to Keys

Escrow can feel like a black box if no one takes the time to explain each step. At Trimark Realty, our goal is to make the process as transparent and stress-free as possible for the buyers.

We also offer cashback to our home buyers when you purchase with us, which can help offset closing costs, moving expenses, or those first upgrades you want to make after you get the keys.

Your Trimark Realty agent will:

Track contingency dates and important deadlines
Help you interpret inspection reports and disclosures
Coordinate with your lender, escrow, and title to keep things moving
Advise you through appraisal, negotiations, and repairs
Prepare you for closing costs and next steps all the way to key day

If you’re thinking about buying a home in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, or San Bernardino County and want a clear roadmap from offer to keys, we’re here to help.

Ready to take the next step?

Contact us at (657) 206-0303 (call or text message) or TrimarkRealty@Yahoo.com, or explore our buyer cashback calculator or mortgage calculator to start planning your budget and timeline.