Your offer was accepted.
First, celebrate. 🎉
Seriously. Getting a house under contract is exciting.
Then check your email, because things are about to start moving.
One of the biggest misconceptions I see with first time home buyers is that getting an offer accepted means most of the work is over.
In reality, acceptance is when a whole new part of the home buying process begins.
You may have earnest money to deliver, inspections to schedule, documents to send your lender, title work happening behind the scenes, an appraisal to complete, insurance to arrange, and a closing to prepare for.
It sounds like a lot.
The good news?
You should not have to figure it all out by yourself.
Here is what typically happens after your offer is accepted on a home in Missouri.
1. Your Contract Becomes the Road Map
Once the offer has been accepted and the contract is fully executed, I immediately start looking at our deadlines.
And this is important:
There is not one universal timeline that applies to every Missouri home purchase.
Your contract controls.
Depending on how your offer was written, we may have deadlines involving:
Earnest money.
Inspections.
Financing.
Appraisal.
Title.
Seller documents.
Closing.
And other conditions specific to the property.
That is why I do not want my buyers trying to memorize a generic timeline they found online.
Your transaction has its own timeline.
My job is to know it and help keep us moving through it.
2. Earnest Money Is Usually One of the First Things We Handle
One of the first questions buyers ask me after going under contract is:
“Where do I send the earnest money?”
Earnest money is money a buyer agrees to deposit as part of the purchase contract to demonstrate their intention to complete the transaction.
The amount, deadline, and party holding the funds should be addressed in your contract.
In many of my Mid Missouri transactions, a title company holds the earnest money, although the arrangement can vary.
And here is something first time buyers often do not realize:
Earnest money is not necessarily an additional fee you simply lose at closing.
If the transaction closes normally, the earnest money is generally credited as part of the buyer's funds in the transaction.
What happens to earnest money if a contract does not close depends on the contract, the circumstances, and the parties' rights.
That is another reason deadlines matter.
3. Your Lender Needs the Contract
If you are financing the home, your lender needs the fully executed contract.
A preapproval got you to this point.
Now your lender starts working toward actually getting the loan ready to close.
That may involve updated bank statements, pay information, tax documents, explanations of deposits, employment verification, additional disclosures, and other documentation depending on your loan.
My biggest advice here?
When your lender asks for something, send it as quickly as you reasonably can.
Underwriting is not the time to disappear for four days because you forgot to check your email.
And please do not make major financial changes without talking with your lender first.
That new SUV can wait.
So can the furniture financing.
So can opening a new credit card because you want 15 percent off the refrigerator.
Get the house first.
4. Schedule Your Inspections
If your contract includes an inspection contingency, this is another item we want moving quickly.
The inspection period is controlled by your contract.
Depending on the property, you might consider more than a general home inspection.
That could include a:
General home inspection.
Sewer inspection.
Septic inspection.
Well evaluation or water testing.
Termite or wood destroying insect inspection.
Roof evaluation.
HVAC evaluation.
Structural evaluation.
Mold evaluation.
Chimney inspection.
Dock inspection for certain Lake of the Ozarks properties.
Or another specialist based on something we discover.
Not every house needs every inspection.
A newer home in Columbia may present completely different questions from a farmhouse on acreage outside Fulton, a property near Sedalia with outbuildings, or a waterfront home in Camden County.
The inspection strategy should fit the property you are actually buying.
5. What Happens if the Home Inspection Finds Problems?
It probably will.
That does not automatically mean you bought a bad house.
Home inspectors are paid to identify defects, maintenance items, safety concerns, and conditions that deserve attention.
Even well maintained homes usually produce inspection reports with a list of findings.
What happens next depends on your contract.
Your options may differ based on the inspection provisions you agreed to, whether the property is being sold as is, and the specific findings.
This is where we stop looking at the report as one giant scary document and start separating things into categories.
What is significant?
What is a safety concern?
What needs a specialist?
What is routine home maintenance?
What could be expensive?
And what are you comfortable handling after closing?
The goal is not necessarily to make the seller deliver a brand new house.
The goal is to understand what you are buying and make decisions based on good information.
6. Title Work Starts Happening Behind the Scenes
While you are focused on inspections and financing, the title company is working too.
Eventually, you may receive something called a title commitment.
If you have never purchased a home before, this document can look intimidating.
The title commitment outlines the requirements that need to be satisfied for the title company to issue the applicable title insurance policy and identifies exceptions that may affect the property.
Those exceptions can include things such as recorded easements, restrictions, rights of way, and other matters affecting title.
This becomes especially important with acreage and rural properties.
If you are buying land in Callaway County, Cooper County, Moniteau County, Pettis County, or another part of Mid Missouri, I want to pay attention to things like access, utility easements, shared roads, and other recorded matters that could affect how you plan to use the property.
Do not just see a 14 page title commitment in your inbox and assume there is nothing worth reviewing.
Ask questions.
7. The Appraisal Is Ordered
If you are financing the purchase, your lender will generally require an appraisal.
And this is where buyers sometimes confuse two completely different things.
The inspection and appraisal are not the same.
Your home inspector is primarily helping you understand the condition of the property.
The appraiser is developing an opinion of value for the lender and, depending on the loan program, may also evaluate certain property requirements.
The appraisal process can become especially important with FHA, VA, or USDA financing because applicable property standards can affect the transaction.
If an appraisal comes in below the contract price or identifies an issue affecting the loan, we determine what options are available under your contract and financing.
Until we have the report, though, there is no reason to create problems that do not exist yet.
One step at a time.
8. Keep Your Finances Boring Until Closing
I mean this with love.
Once you are under contract, boring finances are beautiful.
Do not finance a car.
Do not open five store credit cards.
Do not suddenly move large amounts of money around without being able to document where it came from.
Do not quit your job without talking to your lender.
Do not make a giant furniture purchase on credit because the living room would look amazing with the sectional you found.
Your lender may verify financial and employment information again before closing.
A loan is not completely finished simply because you were preapproved or because the appraisal went well.
If you are considering any significant financial change before closing, call your lender first.
9. Get Homeowners Insurance Lined Up
Your lender will generally require evidence of homeowners insurance before closing if you are financing the property.
Do not wait until the last minute.
Insurance companies may ask questions about the roof, electrical system, claims history, property type, location, and other characteristics.
Properties in rural Mid Missouri can bring additional considerations.
Maybe there are multiple outbuildings.
Maybe the home uses a wood burning stove.
Maybe there is acreage.
Maybe there is a private well.
And Lake of the Ozarks properties can bring their own insurance questions involving docks, waterfront exposure, secondary home use, or short term rentals.
Start early enough that we have time to address a problem if one comes up.
10. Your Loan Moves Toward Final Approval
As inspections, title work, appraisal, insurance, and underwriting progress, your lender continues working toward final loan approval.
You may hear phrases like:
Conditional approval.
Clear to close.
Closing Disclosure.
Final verification.
Do not panic if the lender asks for another document.
That is normal.
Mortgage underwriting involves verifying a lot of information.
The important thing is to stay responsive and continue communicating.
Eventually, your lender should be able to tell you exactly how much money you need for closing and how those funds need to be delivered.
And PLEASE pay attention to wire fraud warnings.
Never trust unexpected wiring instructions simply because they arrived by email.
Verify instructions through a trusted phone number with the title company or closing professional before sending money.
11. You Receive Your Final Numbers
Before closing, you will receive final information showing the financial details of your purchase.
This is where you see things such as your loan amount, closing costs, prepaid expenses, credits, and the amount you are expected to bring to closing.
Look at it.
Ask questions.
If something does not make sense, say something.
You are allowed to understand the documents involved in one of the largest purchases you may ever make.
12. We Do a Final Walkthrough
We are almost there.
Before closing, buyers commonly have an opportunity to complete a final walkthrough depending on the transaction.
This is not another full home inspection.
We are generally confirming that the property is in the expected condition and checking agreed upon items before you take ownership.
Did the seller move out?
Are the agreed upon items still there?
Were negotiated repairs completed as required?
Has something materially changed since you last saw the property?
If the refrigerator was supposed to stay, this is not the moment I want to discover an empty rectangle in the kitchen.
13. Closing Day
You made it.
At closing, you will sign the documents necessary to complete the transaction.
If you are financing, there will be loan documents in addition to the real estate closing documents.
The title company or closing professional will walk you through the signing process.
Depending on the transaction, the parties may sign at different times or even from different locations.
Once the necessary documents have been executed, required funds have been received, and the transaction is authorized to close, ownership can be transferred according to the transaction.
And then comes everyone's favorite question.
When Do You Get the Keys?
Not necessarily the second you finish signing.
Possession is governed by your contract.
In many transactions, possession occurs at closing, but buyers should never assume that without checking their agreement.
There can also be situations involving delayed possession or another arrangement negotiated between the parties.
So before you pull the moving truck into the driveway, know exactly when possession becomes yours.
And once we have confirmation that everything is complete?
Then you get the keys. 🔑
That is the moment all those emails, inspections, signatures, lender requests, and documents finally feel worth it.
How Long Does It Take to Close on a House in Missouri?
There is no single closing timeline that applies to every transaction.
A cash purchase can potentially move much faster than a financed purchase.
Different loan programs can have different processing needs.
Appraisal timing, title issues, inspection negotiations, property conditions, underwriting, and other factors can also affect the timeline.
Your contract will identify the closing date the parties agreed to.
From there, everyone works toward getting the transaction ready by that date.
Is Buying a House Stressful?
It can be.
Especially the first time.
There are a lot of moving pieces, and there will probably be moments when you receive an email and think:
“Wait. What does THAT mean?”
Ask me.
That is quite literally part of my job.
I would much rather explain something twice than have you spend three days worrying about something that could have been answered in a five minute conversation.
Buying a Home in Mid Missouri?
The process may be similar, but every property and every transaction is different.
A condo in Boone County can require different due diligence from an acreage property in Callaway County.
A home in Cole County may present different questions from a property in Pettis County.
A Lake of the Ozarks home in Camden, Miller, or Morgan County can add docks, septic systems, shoreline considerations, and additional inspections to the conversation.
And buyers searching in communities throughout Cooper, Moniteau, Saline, Benton, Howard, Audrain, Randolph, and the surrounding Mid Missouri area may encounter everything from municipal utilities to private wells, septic systems, outbuildings, easements, and rural access.
That is why I do not believe in treating every home purchase like the same checklist.
The process needs to fit the property.
If you are thinking about buying a home anywhere in Mid Missouri, you do not need to know every step before you begin.
You just need someone who knows what question comes next.
And when your offer finally gets accepted?
Celebrate.
Then check your email.
We have a house to close. 🔑
