The short answer
The home buying process runs in nine steps: budget, pre-approval, agent selection, touring, offer, inspection, appraisal, underwriting, and closing. The first four are on your schedule. Once an offer is accepted, the remaining steps run on contract deadlines and usually take 30 to 45 days with financing, or roughly 10 to 21 days for a cash purchase.
- Pre-approval
- 1–3 days
- Offer to acceptance
- 24–72 hours
- Inspection period
- 10–15 days
- Contract to closing
- 30–45 days
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Step 1 — Set an all-in monthly budget
Before anything else, decide what you want to pay per month including taxes, insurance, and association dues. Then check what a lender will allow — the two numbers are rarely the same. Details: how much house can I afford.
02
Step 2 — Get pre-approved
A lender verifies income, assets, and credit and issues a letter you can attach to offers. See how to get pre-approved for a mortgage.
03
Step 3 — Hire an agent who represents you
The listing agent has a duty to the seller. A buyer's agent runs comparable sales, advises on offer structure, and manages inspection and appraisal negotiations for you. Agree on how you will communicate and how quickly before you start touring.
04
Step 4 — Tour with a checklist
Three homes blur together after a weekend. Score each on the same points — layout, condition, light, noise, roof and AC age, parking — using a showing checklist, and bring the right questions.
05
Step 5 — Write the offer
Price is one term of several. Your deposit, closing date, inspection period, financing terms, and requested concessions together decide how attractive and how safe the offer is.
- Purchase price supported by recent comparable sales
- Escrow deposit — larger signals commitment
- Inspection or due diligence period with a clear right to cancel
- Financing and appraisal contingencies
- Closing date and possession terms
06
Step 6 — Inspections and due diligence
Order the general inspection immediately — the clock is short. Add wind mitigation and four-point inspections on older Florida homes, get real insurance quotes, and in an association property review the budget, rules, and the estoppel letter.
07
Step 7 — Appraisal
Your lender orders an appraisal to confirm the home supports the loan amount. If it comes in low, your options are to renegotiate price, bring additional cash, dispute with better comparable sales, or cancel if your contingency allows.
08
Step 8 — Underwriting and conditions
Underwriting is where documentation gets re-verified. Expect requests for updated statements or letters of explanation, and respond the same day — most delayed closings trace back to slow document turnaround, not lender backlog.
- Do not change jobs or open new credit accounts
- Do not move large sums between accounts without a paper trail
- Return every underwriting condition promptly
- Lock your rate and confirm the expiration date covers your closing
- Review the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing
09
Step 9 — Final walkthrough and closing
Walk the home shortly before closing to verify condition and agreed repairs. At closing you sign, funds disburse, the deed records, and you receive keys. Bring valid ID and send wire funds only to a verbally verified account.
Every step above compresses when someone runs the calendar for you. Working with real estate agents in Hollywood, FL who track deadlines, inspection windows, and lender requests is the difference between a 35-day close and a 60-day scramble.
The same rules apply for clients across Davie and Hallandale Beach and the surrounding South Florida communities.