What happens after your offer is accepted in Palm Beach County?

After your offer is accepted in Palm Beach County, the signed contract starts a clock. On the common Florida Realtors/Florida Bar AS IS contract, if the blanks are left empty, your escrow deposit is due within 3 days, your inspection period runs 15 days, and your loan approval period runs 30 days, all counted from the Effective Date. Between now and closing you will inspect, shop insurance, appraise, clear title, get any HOA or condo approval, do a final walkthrough, and sign.

What starts the clock, and how are the days counted?

The Effective Date is the date the last party signs or initials the final offer or counteroffer and it is delivered. That is Day 0. Day 1 is the next calendar day. The FR/BAR contracts count calendar days, not business days, and a deadline that lands on a weekend or national legal holiday rolls to 5:00 p.m. the next business day.

The first thing I do after a contract is signed is build a dated timeline from the actual contract and send it to my client, the lender and the closing agent. Defaults are just defaults. Plenty of Palm Beach County contracts shorten the inspection period to 7 or 10 days or set a different closing date, so the numbers in your contract are the ones that count.

When is the escrow deposit due, and how do I send it safely?

On the AS IS contract, the initial deposit is due 3 days after the Effective Date if no other number is filled in. An additional deposit, if your contract has one, defaults to 10 days after the Effective Date. The deposit goes to the escrow agent named in the contract, usually the title company or closing attorney.

Wire fraud is real here. Before you send a dollar, call the title company or attorney at a phone number you found yourself (not one from an email) and confirm the wire instructions by voice. If anyone emails you "updated" wiring details, stop and call me.

What happens during the inspection period?

The 15 days (or whatever your contract says) are for you to learn everything you can about the house. In Palm Beach County that often means more than a general inspection:

• General home inspection plus a 4-point inspection (roof, electrical, plumbing, HVAC) if the home is older, since many insurers ask for one.
• A wind mitigation inspection, which can lower your windstorm premium.
• Waterfront extras on the Intracoastal or the canals in Jupiter, Tequesta and North Palm Beach: seawall, dock and lift.
• Pool, roof, sewer line, termite (WDO), and septic or well inspections in areas like Loxahatchee or The Acreage.

Under the AS IS contract the seller is not required to fix anything. If the inspection turns up problems, you can ask for a repair or a credit, accept the house as it is, or cancel with written notice before the inspection period ends and get your deposit back. Miss that deadline and your right to walk away on inspection grounds is gone. I tell clients to book inspectors the day the contract is signed, because good inspectors in season are often booked out.

Why should I start homeowners insurance right away?

In Florida, insurance can decide whether a deal works. Roof age, wind mitigation features, flood zone and the condition of the electrical and plumbing all affect price and availability. I ask buyers to get real quotes during the inspection period, not after, so that if a 25-year-old roof makes coverage hard to get, you still have time to negotiate or cancel. If the home is in a flood zone and you are financing, your lender will require flood insurance too. Our guide to property insurance for Palm Beach County buyers covers what to ask your agent.

How do financing and the appraisal work?

If you are financing, the AS IS contract expects you to apply for the loan within 5 days of the Effective Date and gives a 30-day loan approval period if no other number is written in. Answer every lender request the same day if you can. Do not change jobs, open new credit cards, finance furniture or move large sums without talking to your lender first.

The financing contingency protects you if you cannot get the loan. It does not, by itself, let you cancel because the appraisal came in low. That protection comes from a separate appraisal contingency (Florida Realtors Rider F), which lets you cancel or renegotiate if the home does not appraise at the value you chose. If you are paying cash, you may skip the appraisal entirely.

What does title and the closing agent handle?

The title company or closing attorney searches the public records for liens, unpaid taxes, open permits, judgments, easements and restrictions, then issues a title commitment. You will have a set number of days to review it and object to defects, and the seller then has time to cure them. In Palm Beach County the seller typically pays for the owner's title policy, but that is negotiable and the contract decides it. Closings can be handled by a title company or an attorney, and either one also checks for open or expired permits through the city or county building department.

What if the home is in an HOA or condo?

Many homes in Palm Beach Gardens, Jupiter and Wellington sit in HOAs that require an application, interview or approval before you can close. Some associations take two to four weeks, so we submit the application as soon as the contract is signed. For a resale condo, Florida law now gives buyers 7 days after receiving the governing documents to cancel, and the document package should include the milestone inspection summary and structural integrity reserve study where they apply. Our page on buying a condo in Palm Beach County walks through what to read in that package.

What happens at the final walkthrough and closing?

The final walkthrough happens a day or two before closing, or the morning of. It is not a second inspection. You are confirming the home is in the condition it was when you signed, that agreed repairs were made, that the appliances and fixtures included in the contract are still there, and that the pool, A/C and irrigation run.

A few days before closing you will receive a Closing Disclosure (from your lender) or a settlement statement showing your final cash to close. On closing day you sign, your funds arrive by verified wire, the lender funds, the deed is recorded, and you get the keys. Many of our out-of-state buyers sign remotely or by mail-away closing, which the title company can arrange.

For a week-by-week view of this same stretch, see our contract-to-closing guide for Palm Beach County. If you are under contract now, or about to be, call me at 561-352-3056 and I will help you build your dated timeline. This is general information, not legal advice; your contract and your attorney or closing agent control your specific deadlines.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is the inspection period in Palm Beach County?

On the Florida Realtors/Florida Bar AS IS contract it is 15 days from the Effective Date if the blank is left empty. Many contracts shorten it to 7 or 10 days, so check yours.

When is the escrow deposit due after an offer is accepted?

On the AS IS contract the initial deposit defaults to 3 days after the Effective Date and any additional deposit defaults to 10 days. Always confirm wire instructions by phone with the escrow agent before sending money.

Can I cancel if the appraisal comes in low?

Only if your contract gives you that right, usually through a separate appraisal contingency such as Florida Realtors Rider F. The standard financing contingency alone does not cover a low appraisal.

Who pays for title insurance in Palm Beach County?

The seller typically pays for the owner's title policy in Palm Beach County, but it is negotiable and the contract decides it.

Is the final walkthrough a second inspection?

No. It confirms the home's condition has not changed, agreed repairs were completed and included items are still there.

Published: June 15, 2026 | Updated: October 16, 2026