What Happens After Your Home Goes Under Contract

By Tammy Jerome

Tammy Jerome is an award-winning broker and host of “Selling Los Angeles” on the acclaimed American Dream TV show, with over two decades of experience and more than 1,500 successful transactions.

I get this question all the time: “I’ve never sold a house before. What should I expect once my home goes under contract?”

First, congratulations! Accepting an offer is a huge milestone. Maybe you toasted the moment or started dreaming about your next place. But before you mentally move into that beach house or toss your hair dryer into the first moving box you see, there’s still a journey between “offer accepted” and “keys exchanged” and “closing day.”

Let’s walk through what actually happens after your home goes under contract.

Step 1: You’re officially under contract. Once you and the buyer sign the purchase agreement, your home is officially under contract. This is when you’ll start seeing deadlines for inspections, appraisal, loan approval, and closing. Your agent will track all of these dates and keep you on schedule so you don’t feel overwhelmed.

Step 2: The home inspection. Within the first week or so, the buyer schedules a professional home inspection. Home inspectors will look closely at the following:

• Roof
• Foundation
• Plumbing
• Electric
• HVAC and more.

If your home has been well cared for, this part should be smooth. But if the inspector finds something unexpected, such as a water heater that’s ready for retirement age, get ready for a second round of negotiation.

When this happens, buyers might ask for repairs, or they may ask for a credit so they can handle the work themselves later.

Step 3: The appraisal. After the inspection comes the appraisal. The buyer’s lender wants to make sure the home’s value matches the price you’ve agreed on. This is to prevent the bank from financing a $600,000 property that’s actually worth $500,000.

If the appraisal comes in low, don’t panic. You and the buyer can renegotiate the price, split the difference, or your agent can help you challenge the valuation with additional supporting data. There are always options.

​Step 4: Buyer financing & underwriting. Now the buyer’s lender reviews and moves into underwriting. This is where they look closely at the buyer’s income, assets, debts, and job stability.

For you, this stage is mostly waiting. As long as your buyer is qualified, underwriting should keep moving along quietly in the background.

Step 5: Title and escrow review. While the lender reviews the buyer’s information, the title company checks the property records, makes sure there are no surprise liens, and confirms that everything is clean and ready for transfer.

It’s not the most exciting part of the process, but it’s crucial for a smooth closing.

Step 6: Final walkthrough & closing day. Once everything is cleared, the buyer completes a final walkthrough to confirm the home is in the same condition as before.

Then comes the grand finale: closing day. You’ll sign a stack of documents, the buyer’s funds will transfer, and you will hand over the keys to the buyer.

Selling a home is a big deal. Between the paperwork, negotiations, unexpected hiccups, and the constant “what happens next?” It can feel like an emotional marathon. With a reliable real estate agent by your side, you’ll cross the finish line smoothly, celebrate, and start focusing on your next chapter.

A special end-of-year message for you. As the year wraps up, it truly makes me emotional. Thank you for letting me be part of your journey. Your support means more than you know.

And as always, if you want to chat about real estate, plan out next year’s goals, or just talk through your ideas, feel free to call me at (818) 903-5854 or tammyjerome@gmail.com. I’m here to help.

Wishing you and your loved ones a season filled with warmth, joy, and laughter.