Holy crap, they said yes.

Your real estate agent just called with that voice. You know the one: the “something big just happened” voice. They accepted your offer. You’re getting the house!

For exactly 30 seconds, you’re on cloud nine. Already mentally placing furniture. Planning that housewarming party. Texting everyone who’ll listen.

Then reality smacks you upside the head: What the hell happens now?

Real talk: If you’re sitting there with a signed contract and zero clue what comes next, you’re not alone. You’re not stupid. You’re normal. Every single homebuyer, (even that smug coworker who “had such an easy closing”) felt exactly like this.

Here’s what nobody tells you about buying a home: Getting your offer accepted is like getting engaged. Exciting? Hell yes. But the real work? That’s just getting started.

Welcome to the Next 30 Days of Organized Chaos

Every real estate article makes the closing process sound like a smooth journey from offer to keys. The truth? Not exactly.

In reality, it can be a bit of a rush. But a good agent will help you feel supported every step of the way. At Sailing Stone, we email you detailed next-step instructions explaining everything. We’ll work to make sure you don’t miss anything.

When you know what’s coming, it’s way less scary. We’re about to give you the no-BS roadmap through this madness.

Days 1-3: The “Oh Sh*t, This Is Real” Phase of Your Home Closing Process

Your offer just got accepted. Your brain? Spinning. Your heart? Beating fast. Here’s what actually matters right now:

Your Immediate To-Do List:

• Earnest money → Due in 2-3 days. Miss this deadline? You could lose the house before you even get started. No pressure.
• Deep breaths → Seriously. You’ve got this.
• Stay off social media → We know you want to post. Don’t. Not yet. Trust us on this one.

Meanwhile, Your Mortgage Lender Might Want Your Life Story

Ideally you picked a lender who had most of the underwriting finished on your mortgage application before you went under contract. But if it’s been a couple of months or some weird stuff comes up, you’ll have to provide additional paperwork. Stuff like:

• Recent pay stubs
• Bank statements
• Tax returns for income verification
• Documentation for unusual deposits or transactions
• Sometimes additional paperwork
• Possibly your firstborn (kidding, but barely)

Pro tip: There’s a chance that they’ll ask for something weird. Just roll with it. Getting mad at your lender is like yelling at clouds: satisfying but pointless.

Let’s Talk Closing Costs

Your lender should have provided you with a fees worksheet before you made an offer that estimates these costs. But they’re worth going over.

In Colorado Springs, you’re looking at 2-5% of your home’s price ON TOP of your down payment. On a $400K house, that’s $8,000-$20,000 extra. Yeah, we know. Ouch.

Closing Cost Reality Check:

• Loan fees (0.5-1% of loan)
• Appraisal ($600-$800)
• Title insurance (can sometimes be paid by the seller, otherwise $500-$1000)
• Home Inspection
• Recording fees ($30 max)
• Homeowner’s insurance (3 months upfront)
• Property taxes (3 months upfront, seller will apply a credit at closing for the time they owned the property)
• That mysterious “administrative fee” nobody can explain.

Remember, During the First Few Days: While you’re trying to breathe normally, your agent is sending that contract to the lender to get the home loan done. The seller’s packing boxes. The title company’s digging through property records like archaeologists. 

It’ll feel crazy busy, and the first 10 days are pretty nuts. But after that it tapers off.

Days 4-14: Welcome to Inspections and Negotiations (It’s Not That Bad, We Promise)

Time to pay someone to tell you everything wrong with your dream house. Fun times!

In Colorado Springs, inspection cost is usually based on square footage and whether or not you also have outbuildings that need to be inspected. Radon and sewer inspections cost extra. Thanks to new VA requirements in Colorado, termite inspections probably will too.

In general, you’re looking at $400-600 for a standard inspection. It might hurt to write that check, but it’s worth every penny.

Your Inspection Hit List:

• General home inspection (Do it. And don’t have your dad or uncle do it unless they are a pro home inspector)
• Radon test (Colorado = radon central. Just do it.)
• Sewer scope (especially for our charming older homes)
• Maybe termite inspection (yes, even in our dry climate)

Brace Yourself: Your inspector will find problems. Plenty of them. Your 85-page report will make your dream home look like it’s held together with hopes and prayers.

Deep breath. This is normal. Every house, even that perfect new build (PLEASE get these inspected, too!) has issues. The question isn’t “are there imperfections?” It’s “which problems actually matter?”

Based on inspection results, you enter what we call “The Dance.” You ask for repairs. Seller says no. You counter. They counter. Your agents are on the phone negotiating on your behalf. Eventually, you figure it out.

Colorado Springs Inspection Reality Check:

Things that are reasonable to ask for:

• Safety issues (electrical issues, gas lines – the important stuff)
• Things that could stop your loan approval (your agent can help clarify what these things are)
• Major failures (dead furnace in January)
• Structural issues, including interior or exterior water damage

Things that most likely won’t get fixed:

• That weird paint color
• The squeaky floor
• Normal wear and tear
• The basement smell (if it stinks, work the cost of fixing it into your initial offer)

Days 15-25: The Final Sprint (You Can Do This!)

You’re getting there!

The appraisal happens (pray to the real estate gods it comes in at value). The underwriter scrutinizes your life choices. The title company finds that random lien from 1987 nobody knew existed.

When Sh*t Goes Sideways (And How to Handle It Like a Boss)

Let’s discuss what happens when your perfect plan meets reality.

The Appraisal Comes in Low

In the Colorado Springs market, it happens more than you’d think. Depending on the type of loan, either the buyer agent or seller agent will have the opportunity to submit additional info and combat a low appraisal. 

At the end of the day, the lender’s review team has the final say on whether an appraisal is fair, regardless of what the appraiser is willing (or not) to budge on. Here are your options:

• Negotiate the purchase price down (if seller’s motivated, and they should be)
• Pay the difference (pretty rare since it’s not 2021 anymore)
• Walk away (and eat the cost of the inspection and appraisal)
• Meet in the middle (compromise is cool)

Your Loan Gets Weird

Underwriters are… special. They might suddenly need:

• Why you switched jobs in 2019
• Proof that Grandma’s birthday money isn’t a secret loan
• An explanation for that one late payment three years ago

Just. Roll. With. It. And don’t piss them off. Send them what they need when they ask for it.

Title Issues Pop Up

Old liens, boundary disputes, that easement nobody mentioned. Usually fixable, just be ready for them. Mentally.

Colorado Water Rights Alert: Got a well? Water rights get complicated here. Don’t assume anything, and don’t forget about septic and well inspections!

Military Families: Your PCS Survival Guide

Moving to Colorado Springs on orders? You’ve got special challenges and opportunities.

VA Loan Reality Check:

• Pickier appraisals, since government-backed loans don’t want to be paying for unsafe homes
• Specific repair requirements
• But that zero down payment? *Chef’s kiss*

Remote Closing Hacks:

• Real Estate Power of Attorney = your best friend. This is especially needed if you’re deployed and you have someone you trust to sign for you.
• Video tours are totally legit now
• Early occupancy sometimes possible if you close early
• Time it for early in the month (maximize that BAH)

First Time Home Buyer Closing Timeline: We See You, We’ve Got You

Your first rodeo? Let’s clear the fog on what this actually looks like.

The Emotional Roller Coaster Is Real

Days 1-3: “We’re homeowners!” measures for curtains
Days 4-12: “What’s that crack?” mild panic
Days 12-15: “More paperwork?!” document fatigue
Days 15-20: “Did we make a mistake?” existential crisis
Days 20-30: “Almost there…” cautious hope
Closing Day: “WE DID IT!” exhausted victory

This is NORMAL. Everyone goes through it. Even your know-it-all brother-in-law.

Money Moves That’ll Save Your Ass

DO NOT (Seriously, Don’t):

• Buy a car
• Open credit cards
• Make weird deposits
• Change jobs
• Breathe wrong (kidding, but watch everything)

In general, don’t do something unusual (even in an emergency) without asking your lender if it could impact your ability to purchase your home.

DO:

• Keep every receipt
• Keep everything the same
• Pay everything on time
• Save more than you need
• Document everything
• Trust the process (even when it’s nuts)

Your Week-by-Week Sanity Saver

If your offer just got accepted, here’s a checklist of the things you need to get done:

This Week:

• Get earnest money in
• Schedule inspections
• Start insurance shopping
• Start packing
• Breathe (seriously, schedule it)

Next Week:

• Survive inspection
• Read report without crying
• Finalize negotiations
• Send lender whatever weird thing they want
• Choose your insurance
• More breathing

Week Three:

• Finish lender paperwork
• Don’t buy anything expensive
• Practice your “everything’s fine” face

Week Four:

• Home appraisal results
• Lock in closing date
• Final walk through
• Don’t panic about delays
• Buy yourself some ice cream
• Final walkthrough
• Review final numbers
• Have the post office hold your mail, pending a change of address form
• Set up your utilities
• Confirm wire instructions (CALL, don’t email) or get a cashier’s check
• Practice signing your name 47 times

The Extra Stuff To Be Ready For

Beyond closing costs, budget for:

• New locks DAY ONE ($150-$300)
• Moving costs ($1,000-$5,000)
• The “oh shit” fund ($1,000 minimum)
• That first Home Depot trip ($500, somehow)

Real Talk: When to Breathe Heavy (And When to Chill)

It’s Not Great If:

• Lender goes radio silent for a week
• Major structural issues found
• Title shows someone else owns your house
• Seller’s getting cold feet

Normal Sh*t (Don’t Panic):

• Appraisal takes extra days
• Underwriter wants more documents
• Minor title hiccups
• Closing on a house moves a few days

You Made It! Now What?

You closed! You’re exhausted, kinda broke, and officially a homeowner. Here are the final steps.

First 24 Hours:

• CHANGE THE LOCKS (seriously, now)
• Find the water shut-off and circuit breaker (your inspector should have shown you these)
• Take all the photos
• Collapse in exhaustion

First Week:

• Update your address everywhere
• Meet the neighbors
• Find your go-to contractors
• Start that home maintenance binder
• Actually celebrate (you earned it!)

The Bottom Line

The closing on a home process is messy, stressful, and involves signing your name more times than a celebrity at Comic Con. But here’s the thing: You can do this.

Military families do it while managing cross-country moves. First-timers do it while learning a whole new homeowner language. Life-changers do it while juggling everything else.

Every homeowner you know survived this exact process. They all felt lost. They all had that “what have we done” moment. They all made it through.

The secret? Take it one day at a time. Trust your team. Ask the “stupid” questions. And remember, this chaos is temporary. That house? That’s yours forever.

Ready to Stop Going It Alone?

Look, this guide told you the truth about closing. But to be honest, every situation’s different. Every house has its quirks. Every lender has their own special way of driving you crazy.

What you actually need? Someone who’s done this dance a few hundred times. Someone who knows which inspectors actually do a good job. Who can translate “lender speak” into “human speak.” Who’ll tell you when to worry and when to pour a glass of wine and chill.

That’s literally what we do at Sailing Stone Real Estate. No scripts. No corporate BS. Just real humans helping you navigate this beautiful mess.

Ready to have a home-wrangling expert in your corner? Let’s talk. 🏡