Under Contract: What Happens Before Closing
You’re under contract — here’s everything that happens before you get keys, in order.
The Timeline at a Glance
A typical financed Kentucky purchase runs 30–45 days: inspections in the first week or two, appraisal and title work in the middle stretch, underwriting’s final review, then clear-to-close, walk-through, and the closing table. Cash closes faster. Every contract sets its own dates — these are the beats, not promises.
You’re under contract — here’s everything that happens before you get keys, in order.
The Inspection Period
Hire the inspectors your property needs — general always; septic, well, and radon where they apply, which in this corridor is often. Then the findings become negotiation: legitimate repair requests get made, cosmetic padding gets skipped, and the deal either adjusts or confirms.
Appraisal and Title
The lender orders an appraisal to confirm the price; title work confirms the seller can actually deliver what they’re selling. Corridor-specific hiccups: old surveys, family-land title gaps, and unrecorded easements. Caught mid-contract they’re solvable; that’s why this stretch exists.
The Final Stretch
Clear-to-close means underwriting is satisfied. Then: final walk-through to verify condition and agreed repairs, confirming your funds to close, and signing. The golden rule all month: change nothing about your finances — no new credit, no big deposits, no job changes — until the keys are in your hand.
When Things Wobble
Appraisal gaps, repair standoffs, financing delays — most contracts survive at least one wobble. Each has standard playbook responses, and the difference between a wobble and a dead deal is usually how fast and calmly it gets handled.
Common Questions
What if the seller won’t make repairs?
Then you choose: accept, negotiate a credit instead, or exit via the inspection contingency. Credits are often better anyway — you control the contractor and the timeline.
Can the closing date move?
Yes, by agreement — and it happens often enough that flexibility on your side is a genuine negotiating asset going in.
The money side lives in the closing costs guide; the full journey in the buying process guide.
Marcos Gil, REALTOR® · Keller Williams Commonwealth · Based in Beattyville, serving Lexington to the Red River Gorge · Also owner of Central Property Services and publisher of Invest in the Gorge — any recommendation involving my other businesses is disclosed in writing.
Have Questions Mid-Contract? Call/Text Marcos