Your Offer Was Accepted on a Home in Whittier – Now What?

Your offer was accepted.

You are excited. Maybe a little relieved. And then, almost immediately, a question surfaces:

“What actually happens next?”

Most buyers have no idea – and that is usually when the stress kicks in. The good news is that the escrow process is a defined, step-by-step path with clear milestones. When you understand what is coming, it stops feeling overwhelming and starts feeling manageable.

Here is exactly what happens after your offer is accepted on a home in Whittier, CA.

Step 1 – You Open Escrow

Within one to two business days of acceptance, your agent will open escrow with a neutral third-party company. In California, escrow companies handle the coordination between buyer, seller, both agents, and the lender – collecting and disbursing funds, managing documents, and ensuring that all conditions of the sale are met before title transfers.

You will receive escrow instructions to review and sign. Read them carefully. They outline the terms agreed to in your purchase contract and the timeline you are now working within.

Step 2 – Your Earnest Money Deposit Is Due

Your earnest money deposit – typically 1 to 3 percent of the purchase price in the Whittier market – must be wired to escrow within the timeframe specified in your contract. This is usually within three business days of acceptance.

This deposit demonstrates your commitment to the transaction. It is held by the escrow company and applied toward your down payment or closing costs at closing.

Your deposit is protected by your contingencies. If the transaction falls through due to a failed inspection or a properly written financing contingency, you generally get it back. What you must not do is miss the deposit deadline – late deposits can give the seller grounds to cancel the contract.

Step 3 – The Inspection Period Begins

In California, buyers typically have a set number of days – often 10 to 17 days depending on what was negotiated – to complete their inspections and review all disclosures.

Schedule your general home inspection as soon as possible after opening escrow. Do not wait until the last few days of the contingency window. If the inspection surfaces something significant, you need time to get specialist inspections, request repair credits, or make a decision about proceeding.

Attend the inspection in person. Walk through with the inspector and ask questions about everything flagged. What an inspector explains in real time – pointing at the actual condition – is far more useful than reading the written report alone at a desk.

Beyond the general inspection, depending on what the inspector finds or what the property is like, you may want to schedule:

• A roof inspection

• An HVAC inspection

• A sewer scope

• A structural engineer if there are any signs of foundation concerns

In Whittier’s older housing stock – particularly homes built in the 1950s and 1960s – these additional inspections come up more often than buyers expect. Budget for them as part of your due diligence.

Step 4 – You Review Seller Disclosures

California law requires sellers to provide a Transfer Disclosure Statement (TDS) and other disclosures about the property’s known condition. These documents must be delivered to you within a specific window after opening escrow.

Read every disclosure carefully. Your agent should review them with you and flag anything that deserves follow-up. Disclosures tell you what the seller knows – and they become part of the legal record of the transaction.

Step 5 – Your Lender Orders the Appraisal

If you are financing the purchase, your lender will order an appraisal – typically within the first week or two of escrow. A licensed appraiser will visit the property, evaluate it against recent comparable sales in the Whittier market, and determine an appraised value.

If the appraisal comes in at or above the purchase price, you move forward. If it comes in below the purchase price, you have a decision to make – negotiate with the seller, pay the gap out of pocket, or exercise your appraisal contingency to cancel.

This is one of the most important milestones in the transaction and the one buyers most frequently underestimate.

Step 6 – Loan Underwriting and Approval

While inspections and the appraisal are happening, your lender is running your file through full underwriting. This is a deeper review than your pre-approval – the underwriter verifies every piece of documentation you provided and may ask for additional items.

This is not the time to make any significant financial moves. Do not open new credit accounts, finance a vehicle, change jobs, or make large undocumented deposits into your bank accounts. Any of these can derail your loan approval even at this late stage.

Stay in close contact with your lender throughout escrow. Respond quickly to any document requests. Delays on your end can push the closing date and create contract issues.

Step 7 – Removing Contingencies

At certain points in the escrow timeline, you will be asked to remove contingencies – your inspection contingency, your appraisal contingency, and your loan contingency. Each removal is a decision point.

Removing a contingency means you are committing to move forward regardless of that factor. Once removed, your earnest money deposit is at greater risk if you cancel without a valid remaining contingency.

Your agent should walk you through each contingency removal decision carefully. Do not sign a contingency removal form without fully understanding what you are agreeing to.

Step 8 – The Final Walk-Through

Within 5 days of closing – often the day before or morning of closing – you have the right to do a final walk-through of the property. This is not another inspection. It is a verification that:

• The home is in the same condition it was when you made your offer

• Any seller-agreed repairs have been completed

• The seller has removed all personal property that was supposed to leave with them

• No new damage has occurred

Take your time on the final walk-through. Turn on every appliance, run every faucet, and check every room. If something is wrong, this is the moment to address it before you close – not after.

Step 9 – Signing and Funding

A few days before closing you will sign your loan documents – either at a title company, a notary, or remotely depending on the transaction. After signing, your lender will fund the loan by wiring the mortgage funds to escrow.

Once funds are received and the lender authorizes the loan to close, the escrow company records the deed transfer with the county. At that point the home is legally yours.

Step 10 – You Get the Keys

Recording typically happens in the morning. Once confirmation comes through, your agent will arrange key transfer.

You are officially a homeowner in Whittier, CA.

The Deadlines Are Real – Do Not Miss Them

The most important thing to understand about the escrow process in California is that the deadlines in your contract are not suggestions. Missing a contingency deadline, a deposit deadline, or a document request from your lender can have real consequences – from losing contingency protection to giving the seller grounds to cancel.

Your agent should be tracking every deadline and giving you advance notice before anything is due. This is one of the core things experienced representation provides during escrow.

Ready to Start the Buying Process?

Schedule a time to talk about what you are looking for and how to get there.

Edgar Cuevas
Whittier and Surrounding Communities | Broker & Owner

Helping buyers and sellers navigate the housing market in:
Whittier - Norwalk - La Mirada - Santa Fe Springs - Pico Rivera - El Monte - Hacienda Heights - La Puente - Valinda - West Covina

Website: xprtrealestate.com
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