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What Happens After Your Offer Is Accepted

Acceptance is the start, not the finish. Inspection, appraisal, financing, and title all have to line up before the keys move, and each step has a date.

By Nanci Gilbert, PA September 28, 2026
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When an offer is accepted, the visible part of the process ends and the careful part begins. Between the signed contract and the keys sits a sequence with deadlines: the inspection period, the appraisal, the financing, and the title search all have to line up. Buyers who know the sequence feel calm inside it; buyers who discover it one surprise at a time feel the pressure.

The contract and the deposit

The accepted offer becomes a binding contract with dates that matter: the inspection period, the financing and appraisal contingencies, and the closing date. Your earnest money deposit is held in escrow by the title or closing company and applies to the purchase at closing, which is why the contract protects you: the contingencies are the exits that return your deposit if the home or the loan falls through.

The inspection window

Most South Florida contracts allow about a ten-day inspection period, and it is negotiable. This is the time to bring in a licensed home inspector plus the specialists the property asks for: a well and septic person on a Redland parcel, a pool inspector where there is a pool, a roofer if the home is older. The inspection is the window to negotiate repairs or credits, or to walk away cleanly with your deposit, so spend it wisely and on site if you can.

Appraisal and financing

For financed purchases, the lender orders an appraisal, typically scheduled within days and running alongside the inspections, to confirm the home supports the loan amount. Behind the scenes, the underwriter reviews your income, debts, and the property file before final approval. The lesson buyers learn again and again: the pre-approval is the starting number, and the full approval is the one that counts, so paperwork requested during this stage gets answered the same day.

Title, walkthrough, and closing

The title company searches the title for liens and claims, prepares the closing statement, and coordinates the deed and the funding. Closings in South Florida commonly land thirty to forty-five days after acceptance, driven by the contract date. In the final days you do a walkthrough to confirm the home is in the agreed condition, sign the closing documents, and the keys change hands. This is the moment the whole sequence was protecting.

Navigate the sequence with someone who has done it

Nanci coordinates every step after acceptance, from the calendar to the contractors to the closing agent, so deadlines do not surprise you. The sequence looks long on paper and moves quickly in practice when one person holds the schedule.

Nanci Gilbert, PA is a South Florida realtor who guides growing families, sellers, and buyers across Miami-Dade and Broward. Questions about this topic? She answers every message within one business day.