After your offer is accepted and you go under contract, you'll need to complete your mortgage application, have a professional home inspection done, pay for an appraisal required by the lender, have a title search conducted, and review and sign numerous legal documents before you can assume ownership of the property.
Other interested buyers will make backup offers in case the first offer falls through. After your offer has been accepted, you're officially in the homestretch of the buying process. Once the purchase agreement is signed, it becomes legally binding.
The typical response time for a seller after receiving an offer is 24-72 hours. However, it could take longer, depending on market conditions and other factors. Sellers want time to thoroughly review an offer's details, get feedback from their agent, and potentially wait to see if other competitive offers come in.
A closing date is established
In most cases this is within 30 to 60 days after the offer is accepted. The closing date is when you sign paperwork and take ownership of the home. Keep in mind that buyers don't always take possession of the home at closing.
Some buyers may be able to negotiate an immediate possession date. This means as soon as the transaction is closed and the deed is recorded, the buyer can move in. A few other common buyer possession dates may be 15 days, 30 days, 60 days, or even 90 days after closing, depending on how much time the seller needs.
In California, home buyers are generally able to back out of a purchase agreement during the contingency period without penalty. After all, that's the whole point of adding contingencies to a real estate contract.
3. When will I know if my offer has been accepted? You'll usually get a response from the seller in two to three days. However, the seller isn't obliged to respond if they have received multiple offers.
Is Earnest Money Refundable? Earnest money isn't always refundable. The good news for buyers is in most situations, as long as a buyer acts in good faith, earnest money is refundable. As long as any contract agreements are not broken or decision deadlines are met, buyers usually get their earnest money back.
A kick-out clause allows the seller to continue showing the home and accept another offer if the buyer currently under contract cannot remove their contingencies. This clause is often used in a seller's market to ensure the seller has the best chance of closing the sale quickly and efficiently.
California law, on the other hand, limits the amount of earnest money that can go to a seller should the deal fall through to 3% of the purchase price. There are some exceptions, Stuart says, but this law makes it so few earnest money deposits exceed 3% in the Golden State.
Most sellers hope to have multiple offers, but sometimes it's best to take the first offer you receive.
The timeline between making an offer and closing a sale can vary. For home purchases financed with mortgages, the average time to close is 44 days, according to ICE Mortgage Technologies, a mortgage advisory and technology platform. Closings can be as quick as 30 days, though, especially in all-cash deals.
The short answer is yes, a buyer is free to withdraw their offer at any time. However, depending on the contract, there may be penalties for doing so. Many purchase agreements typically include various contingencies meant to protect both parties from a deal that has gone wrong.
After all, aren't the buyers giving the sellers exactly what their listing asked for? However, there are currently no U.S. laws that require this. Home sellers are free to reject or counter even a contingency-free, full-price offer, and aren't bound to any terms until they sign a written real estate purchase agreement.
The inspection typically occurs 7 – 10 days after the offer is accepted, and allows the home buyer and inspector a chance to privately view the home. As the seller is not present for the inspection, you'll have a few tasks that must be completed in preparation for the home inspection.
Property buyers get their earnest money back if the deal goes south for reasons covered in any outlined contingencies. Otherwise, there's little or no chance of a refund. If you change your mind late in the buying process for reasons other than contingencies, the seller can keep the earnest deposit.
Can My Security Deposit Be Returned If My Mortgage Is Denied At Closing? If you have a contingency in place that includes an offer and purchase contract, you may be able to get your earnest money back. However, if you don't have it, you could lose it.
The earnest money deposit serves as the liquidated damages amount in real estate contracts. If the buyer defaults, the seller can keep the deposit regardless of the actual amount of damages. That also means that if the damages are higher than the liquidated damages – you're out of luck!
In some states, like California, a notice to perform is necessary before either party can legally back out of a contract.
You will have a binding contract if the seller, upon receiving your written offer, signs an acceptance just as it stands, unconditionally. The offer becomes a firm contract as soon as you are notified of acceptance. If the offer is rejected, that's that.
A pending status means a home sale isn't complete. So, in theory, you could still visit the property. But if the seller signed a contract without a kick-out clause, they won't be able to show the house or accept offers. Most agents discourage buyers from viewing a pending house since it can be a waste of time.
Backing out of an offer for a non-contingent reason means you risk losing your earnest money. Since you put that money down based on the promise that you would follow through with the contract, backing out for any reason that's not outlined in the agreement means the seller is legally permitted to keep your money.
In addition to losing your earnest money, the seller might pursue further legal action. Backing out after signing the purchase agreement or after the contingency deadlines have passed makes it much harder to withdraw without facing serious financial or legal repercussions.