After Your Offer Is Accepted in Arizona: The Complete Buyer Timeline
What happens after your offer is accepted in Arizona?
After your offer is accepted in Arizona, you'll open escrow with a title company, deliver your earnest money within 1 business day, and move through a 30–45 day process covering inspections, appraisal, loan underwriting, and closing. Most financed purchases in Gilbert, Queen Creek, and Chandler close in 35 days under the standard AAR (Arizona Association of REALTORS®) purchase contract. The first 10 days are the most critical — that's your inspection window, and most of your cancellation rights live there.
By Megan & Jason Williams | June 10, 2026
Getting an offer accepted feels incredible. For about five minutes.
Then the questions start. What do we do now? When do we get the keys? What if something goes wrong? What does "in escrow" actually mean?
This is one of the most common places buyers in Gilbert, Queen Creek, and Chandler feel completely lost — not because the process is complicated, but because nobody walks them through it step by step. Your agent should. Your lender should. But if they haven't, here it is.
Arizona uses an escrow-based closing system. There are no real estate attorneys at the closing table — a title/escrow company handles the transaction from contract to close. That's actually one of the cleaner systems in the country, and once you know the timeline, it's remarkably predictable.
Here's exactly what happens after your offer is accepted.
Day 1–3: The Clock Starts Running
The purchase contract becomes binding the moment both parties sign. From that moment, multiple clocks start at once.
Earnest money is due within 1 business day. Your deposit — typically 1–3% of the purchase price for a $700K–$1.5M home in the East Valley — goes to the title company, not the seller. It sits in an escrow account and gets applied to your closing costs when you close. If you have a valid reason to cancel within your contingency windows, you get it back. If you back out without cause after your contingencies expire, the seller can keep it.
The seller has 3 days to deliver the SPDS. That's the Residential Seller's Property Disclosure Statement — a 9-page document where the seller discloses everything they know about the property: condition, repairs, HOA issues, roof age, water intrusion history, permit status. Read it carefully. If something in the SPDS is concerning, flag it before your inspection period ends.
Your lender gets to work immediately. The signed contract goes to your lender, who orders the appraisal and moves your file into underwriting. There's no waiting for inspections to finish before the appraisal gets ordered — both happen in parallel.
Days 1–10: The Inspection Period
This is the most important window in your entire transaction.
Arizona's standard AAR contract gives you a 10-day inspection period (from the contract date) to investigate the property however you choose. This is when you schedule your general home inspection, any specialty inspections — pool, roof, sewer scope, HVAC — and review everything the inspector flags.
A typical home inspection in Arizona runs $300–$500. Add $75–$125 for a termite inspection (required for most loan types), and $100–$200 if there's a pool. Budget $600–$900 for a complete inspection package on a home in the $700K–$1.5M range.
During those 10 days, you have a few choices:
Proceed as-is. You've reviewed everything and you're comfortable. You move forward without requesting anything.
Submit a BINSR. That's the Buyer's Inspection Notice and Seller's Response — Arizona's formal mechanism for requesting repairs, credits, or a price reduction based on inspection findings. The seller has 3 days to respond: they can agree to the request, make a counteroffer, or decline entirely. If they decline and you can't reach a resolution, you can cancel and get your earnest money back.
Cancel. If you discover issues that change the deal for you, you can cancel any time before the 10-day window closes and get your earnest money back — no questions asked.
After day 10, your inspection contingency expires. You're committed unless something changes with financing or the appraisal.
One thing we tell every buyer: Don't skip the inspection to win a bidding war. In today's more balanced Gilbert and Queen Creek market, you almost never have to. Seller concessions — including repair credits — are back on the table in 2026.
Days 7–21: Appraisal and Underwriting Run in Parallel
While you're in your inspection window, your lender has already ordered the appraisal. Appraisals in the Phoenix East Valley typically take 7–10 business days to complete from the order date.
The appraisal has one job: confirm the home is worth what you agreed to pay. If it comes in at or above your purchase price, it clears your financing and you move on. If it comes in low — meaning the appraiser values the home below your contract price — you have options: pay the gap in cash, renegotiate the price with the seller, challenge the appraisal through a Reconsideration of Value (ROV), or, if your contract includes an appraisal contingency, cancel. We covered low appraisals in detail here if that's a concern for your situation.
Underwriting is happening at the same time. Your lender's underwriter is reviewing your income, assets, debt, and the property itself. They may come back with "conditions" — requests for additional documentation like a letter explaining a gap in employment, updated bank statements, or clarification on a large deposit. Respond to these quickly. Delays at this stage are the most common reason closings get pushed.
If your file is clean and your documents are in order, underwriting typically issues a "clear to close" by day 20–25.
Days 25–35: Final Countdown
Once you're clear to close, a few things happen in quick succession.
You'll receive your Closing Disclosure (CD) at least 3 business days before closing. This document shows your final loan terms, exact monthly payment, and an itemized breakdown of every closing cost. Read it carefully and compare it to your Loan Estimate from when you first applied. If anything looks significantly different, ask your lender before closing day.
Title work gets finalized. The title company confirms the property has a clean title — no outstanding liens, judgments, or ownership disputes. They'll also prepare the deed and all transfer documents.
Your final walkthrough. Usually 24–48 hours before closing. This is your chance to verify the home is in the same condition as when you made your offer, and that any agreed-upon repairs from the BINSR have been completed. Go in with your inspection report. Check the HVAC, run the water, test the appliances, and make sure nothing was damaged during the seller's move-out.
Closing Day
On closing day, you'll head to the title company — or in many East Valley transactions, you'll sign documents electronically in advance and just wait for the call.
You'll sign a stack of loan documents (this takes 45–60 minutes for most buyers), and you'll bring your closing funds. Wire the money ahead of closing day if possible — title companies won't accept personal checks above a certain threshold. Your funds need to be in the title company's escrow account before recording can happen.
Once the title company receives all signed documents and your funds clear, they send everything to the county recorder's office. Recording is what makes you the legal owner. In Maricopa and Pinal counties, recording typically happens same-day.
Once recording is confirmed — usually within a few hours — you get the keys.
From accepted offer to keys in hand: 30–45 days for most financed purchases. Cash deals can close in 10–14 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to close on a house in Arizona?
Most financed purchases in Arizona close in 30–45 days from the accepted offer date. The standard AAR purchase contract targets a 35-day close, though lenders sometimes need more time if there are underwriting conditions to resolve. Cash deals can close in as few as 10–14 days.
What is the inspection period in Arizona and how long do I have?
Arizona's standard purchase contract gives buyers a 10-day inspection period starting from the contract date. During this window, you can hire inspectors, review the results, request repairs via a BINSR (Buyer's Inspection Notice and Seller's Response), or cancel for any reason and receive your earnest money back.
What is the SPDS in Arizona real estate?
The SPDS (Residential Seller's Property Disclosure Statement, pronounced "speeds") is a 9-page form the seller must complete and deliver within 3 days of contract acceptance. It covers property condition, known defects, HOA information, permit history, and more. Reviewing it carefully before your inspection period ends is critical.
Can I cancel after an offer is accepted in Arizona?
Yes — but your options narrow as contingencies expire. During the 10-day inspection period, you can cancel for any reason and get your earnest money back. After that, you can still cancel if the appraisal comes in low (assuming your contract includes an appraisal contingency) or if your financing falls through. Once all contingencies have expired, canceling typically means forfeiting your earnest money. Learn more about getting your earnest money back here.
What happens if the appraisal comes in low in Arizona?
If the appraisal comes in below the purchase price, you have four options: pay the difference in cash, renegotiate the price with the seller, submit a Reconsideration of Value (ROV) to challenge the appraisal, or cancel the contract if your appraisal contingency is still active. Which path makes sense depends on the gap amount, your financial position, and how motivated the seller is. Most experienced East Valley agents have navigated this dozens of times.
Every step in this timeline runs smoother when you have a lender who communicates and an agent who's managing the deadlines. We've closed hundreds of transactions in Gilbert, Queen Creek, and Chandler — and the ones that go sideways almost always come down to missed deadlines, slow document responses, or surprises that could have been caught earlier.
If you want to talk through what your specific timeline looks like, what to watch for in your inspection, or how to position yourself if the appraisal is a concern — no pressure, no pitch — we'd love to help. Book a quick call with Megan & Jason at FindAZValleyHomes.com and let's go over your home goals together.
About Megan & Jason Williams
Megan & Jason Williams are a husband-and-wife REALTOR® team with 18 years of experience and 700+ homes sold across the Phoenix East Valley. Based in Gilbert, Arizona, they specialize in helping relocation buyers and out-of-state families find the right home in Gilbert, Queen Creek, Chandler, and surrounding communities — with the no-BS, straight-talk approach you'd expect from people who made the move themselves. Reach them at 480-618-1890 or Megan@mail.homeinfoaz.com.