After you accept an offer and everyone signs the contract, your home is under contract – but it is not sold yet.
The buyer probably negotiated an option period to perform inspections and negotiate requested repairs. Meanwhile, the lender evaluates the buyer and property, the title company prepares for closing, and the appraisal may still affect the transaction. Agreed repairs, the final walkthrough, signing, and funding come later.
Some steps happen in order. Several happen at the same time. Your contract controls the dates, responsibilities, and rights of both parties.
Accepting an offer is worth celebrating. Just leave the cork in until funding.
Immediately after the contract is executed, Raylene sends the seller an email outlining the important dates and explaining what to expect next. That includes inspections, other property visits, appraisal preparation, important contract terms, and closing.
Her office tracks the work being handled by the buyer, lender, and title company, follows up when information or action is due, and alerts the seller when a delay or new development could affect the sale.
The buyer's option period begins as soon as the contract becomes effective, so inspections and property access are usually the first visible activity.
A professional inspection can take several hours. The inspector's job is to touch, test, operate, examine, and photograph the property. In other words, to be professionally nosy.
Sellers are generally encouraged to leave during the inspection. Buyers frequently attend with their agent and need room to examine the property and discuss concerns openly.
In the Bryan-College Station market, buyers commonly order a general home inspection, pest inspection, HVAC inspection, and roof inspection. Pools, septic systems, and water wells are also commonly inspected when the property has them.
These inspections belong to the buyer. The seller may receive a repair request based on the findings without receiving the buyer's complete inspection reports.
The option period gives the buyer the unrestricted right to terminate the contract. The buyer may walk away because of an inspection finding, because the parties cannot reach a repair agreement, because the buyer changed their mind, or because the tree outside told them not to buy the house.
That does not mean every inspection leads to termination. It means the seller should understand that the buyer still has a broad contractual exit during this period.
After reviewing the inspection findings, the buyer may ask the seller to complete repairs, provide a credit, adjust the price, allow another evaluation, extend the option period, or agree to another change.
The seller can accept the request, reject it, or propose different terms. An inspection report is information – not a mandatory seller to-do list. Nothing changes unless the buyer and seller reach a written agreement.
The option-period clock continues running while everyone gathers information and negotiates. A repair request, conversation, or verbal agreement does not stop the deadline.
For a closer explanation of the buyer's rights and deadlines, see What Is the Option Period in Texas Real Estate?
Raylene reviews the request with the seller in the context of the entire transaction. That includes the property's age and condition, the contract price and other terms already negotiated, the cost and nature of the requested work, and whether the buyer's lender or insurance company may require something to be corrected.
She also helps distinguish between something that has failed and a recommendation to update an older home to current standards. A licensed professional recommending an improvement does not automatically mean the property needs that work or that the seller must agree to it.
The response depends on the property, the request, and the seller's circumstances. Someone who has moved out of town may prefer a financial solution instead of coordinating repairs. Another seller may reasonably prefer to complete uncomplicated work that does not require a licensed contractor.
The goal is to respond to the actual condition and the complete transaction – not treat every sentence in an inspection report as a repair order.
For a deeper explanation, see Repairs and Upgrades Are Not the Same Thing in a Real Estate Negotiation.
While inspections and repairs receive most of the attention, the title company and lender are working toward closing.
The title company researches ownership, prepares the title commitment, obtains payoff information when applicable, and identifies requirements that must be resolved before the property can transfer.
Raylene reviews the title commitment and follows up on anything unexpected. Unknown liens are one of the more common surprises. A seller may need to provide documents, resolve a judgment or ownership issue, supply an existing survey, or satisfy another title requirement before closing.
For a financed purchase, the lender continues evaluating the buyer and the property. The listing side monitors the loan's progress and follows up on delays or concerns that could affect the agreed closing date.
Most financed purchases require an appraisal. Before the appointment, Raylene reminds the seller to put the property's best foot forward for the appraiser.
The appraisal belongs to the buyer and lender, so the seller does not ordinarily receive a copy. If the property appraises at or above the necessary value, the seller generally receives a much simpler and happier message: We made value.
If the appraisal comes in low, Raylene gathers the available information to determine whether the value may have been affected by unsuitable comparable properties, overlooked sales, incorrect property information, or another supportable issue.
When credible evidence supports a different value, she provides that information through the appropriate lender or appraisal process. An appraisal dispute needs evidence – not simply the fact that nobody likes the number.
If the value does not change, Raylene explains the options available under the contract and helps the seller evaluate the most realistic path forward. The possible solution depends on the financing, appraisal provisions, buyer's resources, supporting market evidence, and what the parties are willing to negotiate.
If the seller agrees to repairs, the work must be completed according to the written agreement. Raylene's office tracks the deadlines and collects available invoices and receipts for the transaction file.
When an approved contractor invoice will be paid through closing, it must reach the title company in time to appear in the closing figures.
The buyer may return to inspect the completed work or have an inspector or specialist verify it. Finishing everything at the last possible moment leaves little room to correct a problem if the work does not match the agreement.
About a week before closing, the seller receives another email explaining what to expect. It includes reminders about agreed repairs, utilities, homeowners insurance, moving, cleaning, the buyer's final walkthrough, signing, keys, access devices, and possession.
The buyer usually conducts a final walkthrough shortly before closing. This is not another full inspection. It allows the buyer to confirm that the property remains in the expected condition, agreed repairs appear complete, included items are still present, the seller's belongings have been removed as required, and no new damage has occurred.
Utilities should remain on through closing and funding so the buyer can complete the walkthrough and the property remains protected.
The seller may sign the closing documents, but signing alone does not complete the sale. The required documents must be signed, the lender must authorize funding when financing is involved, and the title company must receive the money.
If everyone signs late on a Friday, funding may not occur until Monday. Until the transaction has closed and funded, the seller still owns the home and remains responsible for it.
Keys, garage remotes, access codes, and possession should not be released until the title company confirms closing and funding unless a written temporary lease provides otherwise.
Do not cancel insurance, shut off utilities, or give the buyer access because somebody emerged from a conference room holding a pen and looking celebratory. Wait for confirmation.
Accepting an offer begins the contract-to-closing process. Inspections, repair decisions, financing, appraisal, title requirements, agreed work, the final walkthrough, signing, and funding still have to come together.
A seller should know what is happening, what requires a decision, and what could affect the sale before a deadline becomes a problem. That is the difference between merely having a contract and successfully getting it closed.
Preparing to sell a home in Bryan-College Station or the surrounding counties? A selling consultation can help you understand the likely contract, inspection, appraisal, and closing decisions before an offer arrives.
Raylene Lewis is a REALTOR® with NextHome Realty Solutions BCS serving buyers and sellers throughout Bryan-College Station and surrounding counties, including Brazos, Burleson, Robertson, and Grimes counties. Licensed in Texas since 2001, she helps sellers understand how contract terms, inspections, appraisal, title requirements, and closing decisions affect the path from accepted offer to funded sale.
