The Contract to Close Checklist, in the Order Deadlines Actually Run

Every state writes its purchase contract a little differently, and riders override the printed defaults constantly. But underneath the differences, the shape of contract to close is the same file after file: a handful of periods counted from acceptance, one item counted backward from closing, and a closing date that anchors the whole thing. This is that shape, item by item, in the order the deadlines actually fall due.

None of the day counts below are a fact about your contract. They are the categories a coordinator checks on every file. What the number actually is, and whether it counts calendar or business days, comes only from the executed contract in front of you.

The two base dates everything counts from

Nearly every deadline in a purchase contract counts forward from one of two anchors. Most periods, earnest money, inspection, disclosures, title review, appraisal, financing, contingency removal, count forward from the acceptance date, the date the last party signed. One item, the final walkthrough, counts backward from the closing date instead, because it has to happen before the buyer signs at the table, not some number of days after a date that has already passed.

The checklist, in the order deadlines run

1. Earnest money due. Counts forward from acceptance, most commonly in business days. The deposit has to be delivered to escrow by this date.
2. Seller disclosures delivered. Counts forward from acceptance in calendar days on most forms. The seller has to deliver the statutory and contractual disclosures by this date.
3. Inspection period ends. Counts forward from acceptance in calendar days on most forms. This is the last day to complete inspections, whatever the form calls it, an inspection period, a due-diligence period, or an option period.
4. Inspection objection due. On forms that separate inspecting from objecting, this is the last day to deliver a written objection or repair request, separate from and usually shortly after the inspection period itself.
5. Title review ends. Counts forward from acceptance in calendar days on most forms. This is the last day to object to anything in the title commitment.
6. Appraisal contingency ends. Counts forward from acceptance in calendar days on most forms. This is the last day to act on a low appraisal.
7. Loan approval / financing contingency ends. Counts forward from acceptance in calendar days on most forms. This is the last day for the buyer's financing contingency to be satisfied.
8. All contingencies removed. Counts forward from acceptance in calendar days on most forms. This is the deadline to remove any remaining contingencies in writing.
9. Final walkthrough. Counts backward from the closing date, not forward from acceptance. This is the buyer's last look at the property before signing.
10. Closing. Either a date stated directly in the contract, or a number of days counted forward from acceptance when the contract states a closing period instead of a fixed date.

A rolled deadline, one that would fall on a weekend or a federal holiday, moves to the next business day for every item on this list except the final walkthrough, which moves to the previous business day so it cannot land after closing. See our full explainer on business days, calendar days and the roll rule for the mechanics.

Why the order matters

Sorted by actual due date rather than by the order they are printed in the contract, this list tells a coordinator what is due next, which is the only question that matters day to day. Two deadlines occasionally land on the same date, in which case the order above is a reasonable tiebreaker: money and diligence items resolve before financing and title items, and closing-adjacent items like the final walkthrough come last.

What happens if a period is not in the contract?

Nothing is computed for it. A period the contract does not state should never produce a deadline, a missing line on a checklist is honest, a guessed one is a liability.

Can these periods be counted in business days instead of calendar days?

Yes, most standard forms let the parties choose calendar or business days for each period separately, so always check what the executed contract actually says rather than assuming a default carries across every line.

Does the inspection period and the inspection objection period always both appear?

No, some forms fold objecting into the same window as inspecting, others split them into two separate deadlines. Read the form to see which structure yours uses before assuming a second deadline exists.

Print this, pin it next to your paper calendar, or better, run the acceptance date through a calculator that applies the roll rule and the holiday calendar for you. The checklist does not change file to file. The dates do, and that is the part worth automating.