Once your offer is accepted (Washington’s contracts call it mutual acceptance), the first week has four jobs: get your earnest money to escrow, by default within 2 business days; return escrow’s opening package; pay for the appraisal your lender orders; and line up homeowners insurance that starts on closing day. The inspection clock and the other contingency deadlines start the same day.
Offer accepted planner
Your deadlines, from acceptance to keys
Enter your two dates and tap what fits. You get every default deadline with Washington’s weekend and holiday rules applied, plus a refund estimate for the policy you’re leaving. Nothing leaves this page.
Your deadlines and to-dos
Leaving an old policy? Your refund, roughly
Defaults from NWMLS Forms 21, 22VV and 35 (Rev. 2/26). Your contract’s own numbers win, and your broker and escrow officer confirm the real dates. The refund estimate follows RCW 48.18.300 for a policy you cancel yourself; your insurer computes the actual amount. Not legal or insurance advice.
This is the email I send every buyer the day their offer is accepted, written out for everyone. The planner above puts your real dates on it. Below: how each step works, and how to leave your old homeowners policy without leaving money on the table.
Same thing, other names: mutual acceptance, under contract, pending, offer accepted, “now what?”. On Washington’s forms, mutual acceptance is the moment the last signature or initial is delivered, and it starts every clock.
Earnest money
Day 1 and 2: get your earnest money to escrow
Your contract (NWMLS Form 21) names the amount and the delivery deadline. Leave the deadline blank and it’s 2 days after mutual acceptance, and because it’s 5 days or less, Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays don’t count. It ends at 9 p.m.
Escrow sends deposit instructions directly to you. The money has to be received, not just sent, by the deadline. A wire or a cashier’s check is the clean way; some escrow companies hold a personal check for up to 10 business days before the funds count.
- Instructions arriveFrom escrow, directly to you
- Call to verifyAt a number you already trust
- Wire itOr a cashier’s check
- Escrow confirmsReceived, not just sent
- ReceiptSent to you, then to everyone
Earnest money counts toward your down payment and closing costs at closing. How much to put down, who holds it and when you can get it back are in my earnest money guide. Wire fraud targets this exact moment: how scammers try it.
Escrow and title
Day 1: return escrow’s opening package
Within a day or so, the escrow company sends an opening package, often called a buyer questionnaire. It looks like paperwork. It’s really the start of your title and your closing.
Your names, exactly
How you’ll hold title, spelled the way your ID and loan spell them.
Who you are
Contact details and the facts title needs to tell you apart from someone with the same name.
Where and when
At the escrow office in business hours, or a mobile notary, which runs about $150 in my experience.
Out of town before closing?
Tell escrow now; remote signing takes extra time to set up.
The title company’s preliminary commitment follows. It lists liens, easements and anything else on record, and your title contingency gives you time to object. What title insurance covers.
Appraisal
Days 1 to 3: the appraisal your lender orders and you pay for
With a loan, your lender orders the appraisal, usually within a day or two of mutual acceptance, and you pay for it then, typically $600 to $1,000. You don’t pick the appraiser. Paying a cash price? No lender, no required appraisal; if you want one, you hire a private appraiser directly and allow at least two weeks.
If the value comes in under your price, your financing contingency and the appraisal terms in your contract decide what happens next: low appraisals and the financing contingency. Choosing a lender is its own step; I keep a short list at brianhuie.com/lenders.
Homeowners insurance
Week 1: buy homeowners insurance that starts on closing day
Your lender won’t fund without proof of homeowners insurance, so start shopping the day your offer is accepted. Ask two or three companies for quotes. At application most insurers issue a binder, a temporary commitment, and decide on the final policy later, which is why early matters.
- Start it on the closing date.Not the possession date. Closing is when the home becomes yours. List it as your primary residence if you’ll live there.
- Put your lender on the policy.Washington’s Insurance Commissioner: add your lender as the lienholder and send them the declarations page, or the lender can buy expensive lender-placed coverage that protects only them.
- Form 22VV, if you used it.An insurance contingency: you apply within 5 business days, and if you can’t get a binder within the limits (a premium up to 0.5% of the price and a $2,000 deductible by default), you give notice within 15 days.
- Older homes get questions.Roof age, knob and tube wiring, an old oil tank or a past claim can change a quote. In 2020 an insurer agreed to cover a buyer of mine if the knob and tube came out within about 30 days of closing.
- Condos need two policies.The HOA’s master policy covers the building; your own policy covers your unit and belongings. Lenders ask for the current master policy, and the HOA usually has a copy.
- Flood policy on the house?A seller’s NFIP flood policy can usually be transferred to the buyer at closing, which can save time and money.
- You can switch later.Start with any good policy. If you find a better one after closing, switch, tell your lender, and the old company refunds the unused part.
Your old policy
Leaving a home? How to cancel the old policy and get your refund
Whether you’re selling the place you’re leaving or just moving out of it, cancel the old home’s policy after closing or after you move, not before. Washington law is firmly on the homeowner’s side here, with just enough room for the insurer to keep a few dollars as a parting souvenir.
- Cancel in writing.Washington lets you cancel by written notice or by surrendering the policy. Buying a new policy doesn’t cancel the old one, and it doesn’t make the refund come faster.
- The refund is due within 30 days.Under RCW 48.18.300, the insurer pays the unearned premium as soon as possible and no later than 30 days after it gets your notice.
- It’s pro rata, almost.The refund is figured day by day, and the insurer may keep a small slice: up to 10% of the first $100, 5% of the next $400 and 3% of the rest. Under $2, no refund is required.
- Paid through your mortgage?The refund goes to whoever the insurer’s records name, often you. Separately, once your loan is paid off at closing, the servicer must return your escrow account balance within 20 business days.
- If the insurer cancels you.On policies issued or renewed since July 1, 2025, it must give 60 days’ written notice with the reason (10 days for nonpayment), and refund the full pro rata amount, no slice kept, within 45 days.
- Something off?The Office of the Insurance Commissioner takes complaints at 800-562-6900 or online, and asks the pointed questions for you.
Between homes? A renters policy covers your belongings and liability in a short-term rental; Washington’s Insurance Commissioner puts the average at about $120 to $216 a year. Leaving a house empty while it sells? Tell your insurer: many policies cut coverage, such as vandalism, after 60 days vacant, and Washington’s listing agreement advises sellers to ask about a vacancy clause.
Deadlines
The other clocks that start at mutual acceptance
Every contingency in your contract runs from the same moment. These are the common Washington defaults; your contract’s own numbers win.
Schedule the inspector in the first few days: what a home inspection covers. The seller’s disclosure has its own window: Form 17. Buying a condo? The resale certificate. And if you’re wondering whether you can still walk away, here’s how the exits work.
Closing
The last week: walkthrough, signing, wire and keys
- 5 to 7 days outEscrow sets up signing; your insurance declarations page goes to the lender.
- About 2 days outFinal walkthrough. Within 5 days of closing on the default contract.
- 1 to 3 days outSign, then wire the rest of your funds. Call escrow to verify first.
- Closing dayThe sale records. Your new policy starts today.
- 9 p.m.Possession on the default contract, often earlier once it records.
Then the fun part: my moving checklist dates the move itself. My clients get every step on their own dashboard, with my notes, in the buyer guide.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions after an accepted offer
What is the next step after an offer is accepted?
Get your earnest money to escrow, return escrow’s opening package, pay for the appraisal your lender orders, and start homeowners insurance quotes. Schedule your inspection in the first few days too.
How long after an offer is accepted do you close?
In Seattle, about 9 to 25 days with a loan and 7 to 14 in cash. Your contract sets the date.
When is earnest money due in Washington?
By the delivery date in your contract. If it’s blank, NWMLS Form 21 makes it 2 days after mutual acceptance, not counting weekends or legal holidays, by 9 p.m.
Who orders the appraisal, and who pays?
Your lender orders it and you pay, typically $600 to $1,000, right after acceptance. Cash buyers can hire a private appraiser if they want one.
Do I get a copy of the appraisal?
Yes. For a first mortgage on a home, your lender must give you a free copy promptly, and no later than 3 business days before closing.
When should I buy homeowners insurance for a new home?
Start quotes the day your offer is accepted and have the policy start on the closing date. Your lender needs proof before it will fund.
Do you get a refund if you cancel homeowners insurance?
Yes. In Washington the insurer refunds the unearned premium, figured day by day, minus a small allowed slice, within 30 days of your written notice.
Does buying a new policy cancel my old one?
No. You still have to cancel the old policy in writing, and the new policy doesn’t change the refund math.
When should I cancel my old homeowners insurance when I move or sell?
After closing on the home you’re selling, or after you’ve moved out of one you’re leaving, so it’s never uninsured.
What if my insurance was paid through my mortgage escrow?
The policy refund goes to whoever the insurer’s records name. Your escrow account balance comes back separately within 20 business days after the loan is paid off.
Can I back out after my offer is accepted?
Through a contingency, yes, on its terms and deadlines. Outside one, you risk your earnest money. How the exits work.
What does mutual acceptance mean?
It’s the moment both sides have signed and the last signature or initial is delivered. Every deadline in a Washington purchase contract counts from it.
The bottom line
The first week after an accepted offer is mostly logistics, and every item has a clock: earnest money in 2 business days, the opening package right away, the appraisal paid, insurance shopped and started on closing day. Do them early and the rest of the escrow is calm.
Leaving a home behind? Cancel that policy in writing after closing, and expect almost all of the unused premium back within 30 days.
Under contract with me? You already have these steps on your dashboard. Shopping for a home? Send me a note.
Sources
- Forms 21 (General Terms b, f and l), 22VV, 35 and 1A (Rev. 2/26, sample packet), Northwest Multiple Listing Service
- RCW 1.16.050, Legal holidays, Washington State Legislature
- RCW 48.18.300, Cancellation by insured, Washington State Legislature
- RCW 48.18.290, Cancellation by insurer (as amended, effective July 1, 2025), Washington State Legislature
- What to do when changing homeowner policies, Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner
- Lender-placed insurance, Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner
- How renter insurance works, Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner
- File a complaint, Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner
- 12 CFR 1024.34, Timely escrow payments and treatment of escrow account balances, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, eCFR
- Do I have the right to receive a copy of my home appraisal?, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- RCW 64.90.640, Resale of units, Washington State Legislature
- Answers to your clients’ most frequently asked questions, FEMA National Flood Insurance Program
- Managing the Risks of a Vacant Home, IRMI