Escrow brings a home sale from accepted offer to closing, but several important issues can arise along the way. These guides explain escrow timelines, buyer and seller cancellation rights, earnest money disputes, financing problems, missed contract deadlines, contingency removal, and what happens when a buyer does not close on time.
If the buyer does not close escrow on time, the transaction does not necessarily end automatically. For the seller, the immediate issue is to determine why closing did not occur,…
When a buyer removes a contingency, the transaction passes an important contractual checkpoint. The buyer proceeds without the contractual protection associated with that particular contingency and can no longer rely…
A Notice to Buyer to Perform is a written notice used when a buyer has not completed certain obligations required by the purchase agreement. For a California home seller, the…
When a buyer misses a contract deadline, the consequence depends on what the buyer was required to do and what the purchase agreement says should happen next. A late deposit,…
If a buyer’s financing falls through, the sale does not necessarily end immediately. For a home seller, the first step is to identify what financing problem occurred, whether it can…
A seller can sometimes cancel an accepted purchase agreement, but not simply because they change their mind or receive a better offer. For a California homeowner asking can a seller…
Sometimes, but not automatically. For a California home seller asking can a seller keep the buyer’s deposit if the buyer cancels, the answer depends on why the transaction ended, what…
When a buyer attempts to cancel escrow, the seller first needs to identify what contractual provision or contingency the buyer says they are relying on and establish the status of…
Yes, a buyer may sometimes back out after a seller accepts their offer, but the buyer does not automatically have an unrestricted right to walk away. For a California home…
A common planning range for a residential escrow is about 30 to 45 days, but there is no single California escrow period that applies to every home sale. For sellers…
