Guide
The home purchase timeline, from accepted offer to closing day
Between the accepted offer and the keys there are five or six contract dates, and every task on the deal hangs off one of them. Here is the order they come in, what happens at each, and a worked example of a full calendar.
Updated by the HomeAxis team
The milestones, in order
Every purchase contract is different and every state has its own customs, but the milestones come in roughly the same order. Your contract sets the actual dates; the job is to know which one is next and what has to be done before it.
- Offer acceptance. The day both sides have signed. Almost every other deadline counts from here. The buyer’s deposit, the intro email to every party and the inspection booking all happen now.
- Home inspection. The buyer’s inspector goes through the house. The inspection contingency gives the buyer a short window to ask for repairs, renegotiate or walk away. It is usually the first deadline and the shortest.
- Purchase and Sale (in states that use one). In some states, the offer is followed by a fuller Purchase and Sale agreement signed after the inspection. Elsewhere the accepted offer is the contract.
- Appraisal. The lender’s appraiser values the home. If the value comes in below the price, the buyer and seller have decisions to make, so the agent confirms it is ordered well before closing.
- Mortgage commitment. The lender’s formal approval. The financing contingency usually ends here, and the listing agent will want the letter.
- Clear to close and the closing disclosure. The lender has everything it needs and the buyer receives the final numbers ahead of closing.
- Final walkthrough. The buyer sees the house shortly before closing to confirm its condition.
- Closing. Documents are signed, funds move and keys change hands.
A worked example: a 35-day closing
Say the offer is accepted on Tue, Nov 10 and the contract sets the inspection for Tue, Nov 17, Purchase and Sale for Tue, Nov 24, the mortgage commitment for Mon, Dec 7 and closing for Tue, Dec 15. These are example dates, not a rule: yours are in your contract. Here is when each task on the HomeAxis default buyer playbook falls.
| Date | Task | Counted from |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Nov 10 | Congratulate Buyer on Accepted Offer | On the offer acceptance date |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Send Introductory Email to All Parties | On the offer acceptance date |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Schedule Home Inspection | On the offer acceptance date |
| Tue, Nov 10 | Prepare Information for Your Client's Upcoming Inspection | On the offer acceptance date |
| Wed, Nov 18 | Review Inspection Report & Contact Client | 1 day after the home inspection |
| Wed, Nov 18 | Prepare Repair Request Addendum (If necessary) | 1 day after the home inspection |
| Thu, Nov 19 | Prepare Commission Statement | 2 days after the home inspection |
| Mon, Dec 7 | Confirm Appraisal Details | 8 days before the closing date |
| Mon, Dec 7 | Send Mortgage Commitment Letter to Listing Agent | On the mortgage commitment date |
| Tue, Dec 8 | Order Closing Gift | 7 days before the closing date |
| Thu, Dec 10 | Send Commission Statement to Closing Attorney | 5 days before the closing date |
| Thu, Dec 10 | Confirm Closing Date and Clear to Close | 5 days before the closing date |
| Fri, Dec 11 | Send Buyer ‘Final Steps’ Email Template | 4 days before the closing date |
| Sat, Dec 12 | Coordinate Final Walkthrough | 3 days before the closing date |
| Mon, Dec 14 | Confirm Final Walkthrough & Closing Dates and Times | 1 day before the closing date |
| Tue, Dec 15 | Bring Closing Gift for your Homebuyer | On the closing date |
| Tue, Dec 15 | Send Congratulations Message to the Buyer | On the closing date |
| Tue, Dec 15 | Change Transaction Status to Closed in your Systems | On the closing date |
| Sun, Dec 20 | Send Follow-up Contact Information Email (Post Move) | 5 days after the closing date |
Want this for your own dates? The free closing timeline calculator builds the same schedule from the offer acceptance and closing dates you type in, for a buyer or a seller.
What moves the timeline
Timelines move more often than they hold. The common reasons:
- An inspection negotiation that runs past the contingency date and needs an extension.
- A slow appraisal or a low value, which can push the mortgage commitment.
- Lender conditions that take longer than expected, delaying clear to close.
- A new closing date agreed by both sides for moving, rate lock or personal reasons.
Each change usually comes as an amendment or extension. The danger is not the new date; it is the six tasks that were counted from the old one. When a date moves, recount everything that hangs off it, and tell the client what changed.
In HomeAxis you change the date once or snap the amendment, and every task counted from it moves. Finished tasks stay finished.
Walking the buyer through it
First-time buyers rarely know what comes next, and silence feels like trouble. A short text at each milestone (offer accepted, inspection booked, appraisal ordered, commitment in, walkthrough set, closing day) answers the question before it is asked.
See what to text your client at each stage for wording you can adapt, and how to keep clients updated for the rhythm.