Real estate transaction checklist
Contract to close — thirteen items to confirm on every financed purchase.
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01. Purchase agreement fully executed; deadlines calendared from the ratified date.
Who: Buyer and seller (both sides sign)When: Starts the clock for every deadline that follows
02. Earnest money delivered and receipted into escrow.
Who: Buyer
03. Escrow opened and title ordered.
Who: Title or escrow company (an attorney in some states)
04. Inspection scheduled and completed within the inspection period.
Who: Buyer (via a home inspector)
05. Any inspection resolution (repairs, credits, renegotiation) agreed before the deadline.
Who: Buyer and seller
06. Appraisal ordered by the lender; value reviewed against contract price.
Who: Lender (via an appraiser)
07. Loan through processing and underwriting; financing-contingency date tracked.
Who: Lender
08. Title search cleared; title insurance in place.
Who: Title company
09. Homeowners insurance bound and effective at closing.
Who: Buyer (policy required by the lender)When: Must be in force at closing
10. Clear to close received from the lender.
Who: Lender
11. Closing Disclosure delivered at least three business days before closing.
Who: Lender (delivered to the buyer)When: At least three business days before closing (statutory)
12. Final walkthrough completed.
Who: BuyerWhen: Usually within a day or two of closing
13. Closing signed, funded, and recorded.
Who: All parties, closed by the title or escrow company
Timing is shown only where it is fixed rather than negotiated. The inspection window, appraisal turn time, and financing-contingency length are set by the ratified contract and by local custom — the governing document is the contract in front of you, not a generic calendar. The one genuinely fixed number is the three-business-day Closing Disclosure rule.
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