Closing Delay Dilemma: Why Timing and Communication Matter
Happy to celebrate this closing last week—but it wasn’t without a few curveballs.
One thing I’m reminded of in this business: a real estate transaction is a chain reaction. From the moment an offer is accepted, the clock starts ticking, and every step—inspections, appraisals, loan approvals—depends on the one before it. If one piece slips, the whole timeline shifts.
The Inspection Period: A Critical Milestone
One of the biggest milestones in a contract is the inspection and resolution period. This is the buyer’s window to do their due diligence—order a home inspection, check for repairs, and decide whether to move forward.
Most buyers hire a general home inspector, and it’s during this stage where major issues (or minor fixes) can be negotiated. Maybe outlets need to be updated to code, or there’s a fan that doesn’t work. But sometimes, the inspection uncovers big-ticket problems like leaks or structural issues. At that point, the seller may refuse to fix it, and the buyer has a decision to make: move forward, renegotiate, or walk away.
This is also why timing and communication are so important. If the inspection drags out, it pushes back the appraisal, which pushes back the loan, which pushes back the closing.
Why It Matters to Stay Flexible
In this recent deal, delays snowballed because the inspection wasn’t scheduled in time. That meant the lender held off on ordering the appraisal—no one wants to pay for an appraisal on a house the buyer might walk away from. By the time the inspector got back out, they were booked a week in advance. The appraisal then got delayed, and just like that, the closing date was in jeopardy.
To add another wrinkle, this particular seller wasn’t a homeowner but a developer. Without an agent on his side, he didn’t fully grasp the deadlines and moving parts involved, which meant extra communication (and patience) was required to keep the deal alive.
Lessons Learned
Real estate contracts are legally binding, but they’re also a dance of moving parts, each one depending on the other. A few takeaways from this experience:
Deadlines matter. Missing one can stall the whole process.
Communication is key. Keeping buyers, sellers, lenders, and inspectors on the same page prevents surprises.
Flexibility goes a long way. In real estate—and in life—things rarely go exactly as planned. Managing expectations is half the battle.
At the end of the day, my job is to advocate for my clients, keep them informed, and help them navigate the bumps in the road. This closing was delayed, but it happened—and that’s always worth celebrating.
