Under Contract: What Happens Next

Your offer got accepted. Now comes the part nobody explains.

The path, in order

1. Deposit. Your earnest money goes into escrow, showing the seller you are serious.
2. Inspection. You learn what condition the house is actually in, and you still have room to negotiate or walk depending on your contract.
3. Appraisal. The lender confirms the property supports the loan amount.
4. Underwriting. The file gets reviewed in full. This is where document requests come from, and where speed on your end matters most.
5. Clear to close. Underwriting signs off. The finish line is now visible.
6. Closing day. You sign, funds move, and the keys are yours.

It is a well-worn road. Thousands of files run it every week. The reason it feels uncertain is that nobody narrates it, which is why I keep you posted at every milestone.

Your job for the next few weeks

Two things, and they are both simple:

Send documents back quickly. Underwriting works in batches. A request that sits for three days does not delay you by three days, it delays you by three days plus the wait for the next review slot.

Do not touch your credit. No new credit cards, no financing a car, no furnishing the house on a store card, no closing old accounts. Your file gets re-checked before closing, and a new obligation that appears late can change the outcome. Buy the couch after you have the keys.

What can go sideways

Employment changes, large unexplained deposits, a low appraisal, or a title issue turning up. All of these are handleable when they surface early. All of them are worse when discovered the week of closing.

Tell your loan officer about anything that changes. Anything. It is far easier to work around a problem we know about.