The moment you have a home under contract, something shifts. The house still belongs to you, but it doesn’t quite feel that way anymore. You stop making plans around it. You start imagining life on the other side. And then the calls start: the inspector is scheduling, the buyer’s lender wants documents, your agent is managing a calendar of contingency deadlines you didn’t know existed two weeks ago.
Most sellers think accepting the offer is the hard part. It’s not. What comes next, the home under contract period, is where deals are made or lost, and knowing what’s coming makes it a lot easier to get through.
Here’s what the home under contract process actually looks like for sellers.
The Inspection Period: The Phase That Makes Sellers Hold Their Breath
The inspection period comes first, and it’s the one I pay the most attention to as an agent. A licensed inspector walks through the property, checks everything from the roof to the water heater to the electrical panel, and produces a detailed report. That part is standard.
Here’s what sellers often don’t understand: in the Florida AS-IS contract (the FAR-BAR AS-IS), the inspection contingency gives the buyer the right to cancel for almost any reason. I tell every seller I work with the same thing: a buyer can technically walk away during the inspection period because they don’t like the color of the door. It sounds extreme, but it’s true. The contingency is broad. It’s not limited to a list of specific defects. If the buyer decides this isn’t the house for them, the inspection report gives them a clean exit with their deposit back.
Because of that, I tell sellers: don’t make any real plans to leave until the inspection period passes. Don’t give notice to a storage unit. Don’t commit to a move date. The cost of over-committing before that contingency clears is real, and it’s avoidable.
Once the home under contract inspection period closes and the buyer is still in the deal, one of three things has happened: they accepted the home as is, they submitted a repair request, or they asked for a credit. However that gets resolved, the next phases begin.
The Appraisal and Financing Contingencies
If the buyer is financing the purchase, their lender will order an appraisal. An independent appraiser comes through and produces an opinion of value. If that number comes in lower than the contract price, the lender will only finance up to the appraised amount. That gap has to be negotiated: the seller reduces the price, the buyer pays the difference in cash, or both parties meet in the middle. Most of the time they find a way forward, but it’s another conversation that sellers need to be prepared for.
The financing contingency runs alongside the appraisal. The lender is underwriting the buyer’s loan during this period: verifying income, employment, assets, and the condition of the property. Sellers don’t see most of this happening, but a lender’s denial at the end of this process can kill the deal even after everything else has gone smoothly.
According to Florida Realtors, the average time from accepted offer to closing in Florida for a financed buyer is 30 to 45 days. Cash deals can close in as little as 10 to 14 days. Knowing that timeline upfront helps sellers plan without overcommitting.
Title Work: The Part That Happens Behind the Scenes
While the appraisal and financing are in motion, a title company is running a search on the property to confirm clean ownership and clear any outstanding liens, judgments, or encumbrances. This is mostly invisible to the seller, but it’s essential. If anything turns up, it has to be resolved before closing can happen.
Closing in Florida typically takes place at a title company, not a law office. Both parties sign, and funds are disbursed the same day. Your agent and the title company will coordinate the logistics.
What Sellers Should Do During the Home Under Contract Period
Keep the property accessible. If the inspector or appraiser needs to get in, delays on your end can push back the timeline or create friction with the buyer. Stay in touch with your agent. If repair requests come in, review them before responding. How you respond matters, and having experienced guidance in that conversation often determines whether the deal continues or unravels.
You can start planning your move, but do it loosely. Have a moving company in mind. Research your next step. Just hold off on anything financially irreversible until you are through the inspection period at minimum, and ideally through financing approval as well.
If you’re still in the preparation phase, what sellers should expect during showings and how to prepare your home for a successful sale are worth reading before you get to the offer stage.
When You Can Breathe
A home under contract is not truly locked until every contingency has passed. Once those deadlines expire and the buyer hasn’t exercised a right to cancel, the path to closing gets very clear. If you’ve made it to the final week with your home under contract, the deal almost always closes. But as I always say: you count the money when it’s in your account, not when the contract is signed.
💬 Going under contract soon and not sure what to expect?
Text HOME to 727-496-8301, I’ll walk you through the timeline before anything catches you off guard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a buyer back out during the inspection period in Florida?
In the Florida AS-IS contract (FAR-BAR AS-IS), buyers have the right to cancel and recover their earnest money deposit for almost any reason during the inspection window. This is why sellers with a home under contract shouldn’t make firm commitments, such as setting a hard move date or giving away belongings, until the inspection period has officially passed.
What happens if the home doesn’t appraise at the contract price?
When an appraisal comes in below the agreed purchase price, the lender will only finance up to the appraised value. The gap becomes a negotiation: the seller can reduce the price, the buyer can make up the difference in cash, or both parties can split it. If no agreement is reached, the buyer may cancel under the financing contingency.
What should sellers do if a buyer asks for repairs after the inspection?
Review the request carefully with your agent before responding. Some items are legitimate concerns that a future buyer would raise anyway; others are negotiating tactics. Your options are to agree to repairs, offer a credit at closing, reduce the price, or decline. The way you handle this moment often determines whether the deal moves forward, so don’t go it alone.
Ready to list in the Tampa Bay area?
The home under contract period goes smoother when you know what’s coming before it arrives. I work with sellers across Pinellas County, Hillsborough County, Pasco County, and Hernando County who are ready to make their move on their terms. If you want to talk through where you are in the process, I’m here.
A Helpful Next Step
The Selling Roadmap walks you through every stage of a home sale, from preparing your property to what happens after you accept an offer, so you know what’s coming before it arrives. Start there before you start talking to buyers.
Also worth reading:
- What sellers are getting wrong about pricing in 2026
- No offers after three weeks? Here’s your next move
- Should you sell your current home before buying your next one?
Norma Vargas | eXp Realty, LLC | Top 1.5% in 2025
🌴 Florida REALTOR ® | Broker Associate
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