Contract Deadlines Davis County Buyers Need to Track After an Accepted Offer

Once a seller accepts your offer, a clock starts. Your purchase contract sets dates for inspections and due diligence, for your loan and appraisal, and for closing. Miss one, and you can lose rights you thought you had, sometimes including your earnest money. For a buyer in Davis County, the short answer is this: put every date on a calendar the day the contract is signed, and know what happens if each one passes.

Charisse Walker is a real estate agent with Chalker Properties Group in Salt Lake and Davis County, Utah, and a licensed mortgage lender. This article walks through how those dates work, where buyers slip, and how to keep your purchase on track from Layton to Bountiful to Farmington.

One note first. Your contract controls, not this article. The exact names and lengths of each deadline come from the form you sign, and your broker or attorney can answer questions about what it means. For a plain-language tour of the form itself, read the guide to the Utah purchase contract.

A contract date is not a suggestion. It is the point where a right either gets used or goes away. If your inspection window closes on a Friday and you did not raise your concerns, the seller can reasonably say the time has passed. If your loan paperwork is late, the seller may be able to cancel.

Most missed dates are not careless mistakes. They happen because a buyer is juggling a job, a move, a lender, and a stack of emails. Nobody is watching the calendar for you unless you set that up on purpose.

Treat the first day after acceptance like a project kickoff. Write down each date, who is responsible, and what needs to happen two days before it. That small habit prevents most of the stress buyers describe.

Names vary by form, so read yours closely. In general, buyers will see dates like these:

• Earnest money delivery. The date by which your deposit must reach the holder, usually a title company or brokerage. See how earnest money works in Utah.
• Seller disclosures. The date by which the seller provides required paperwork about the property.
• Due diligence. Your window to inspect, review documents, and decide whether the home works for you.
• Financing and appraisal. The dates by which your loan is approved and the home appraises, or you act on the result.
• Settlement. The day the deal is completed and ownership transfers, according to your contract and the title company's process.

Possession can be a separate date from settlement. If you need to move in on a particular day, say so before you write the offer, not after.

Due diligence is your time to learn what the house really is. Book the inspection in the first days, not the last. Inspectors, and the specialists they sometimes recommend, have their own schedules, and a week can disappear while you wait.

Here is a sequence that works well for many Davis County buyers:

1. Schedule the general inspection the day the contract is signed.
2. Ask the inspector which findings may need a specialist, such as a roofer, a plumber or a sewer line camera.
3. Review the seller's disclosures and any homeowners association documents as soon as you receive them.
4. Decide with your agent which findings matter, and which are normal wear for the age of the home.
5. Put your request in writing before the window closes, not on the last evening.

For how to ask for repairs or credits and keep the deal together, read how to negotiate repairs after an inspection. Homes in Davis County can have issues tied to the local ground and weather, such as water in a basement or a sump system. That is why the inspection list should match the property, and it is also why a second look at drainage is worth the time.

Your lender needs documents, an appraisal, and time for underwriting. The date in your contract is the buyer's deadline to meet certain loan conditions. It is not a promise that the lender will finish early.

You control your part. Answer your lender the same day when they ask for a pay stub or a bank statement. Do not change jobs, open a credit card, or finance a car during the process. Any of those can force the lender to start over.

The appraisal is ordered through your lender. If the value comes in below the price, you have choices, and the dates in your contract decide how much time you have to make them. The article on handling a low appraisal in Utah covers the options.

Questions about your loan itself belong with your own lender. As your agent, my job is to keep the dates visible and make sure the paperwork reaches the right people on time.

• Waiting to book the inspection. Open slots fill quickly, and a delay can leave you with a rushed report.
• Assuming a verbal extension counts. If a date needs to move, the change should be in writing and signed by both sides.
• Ignoring the seller's disclosures until the end. Read them early, because they can raise questions the inspector should look at.
• Forgetting the earnest money date. Late delivery can put the contract at risk before you have done anything else.
• Letting the lender wait. A late document is the most common reason a loan slips.
• Starting to move out of a rental before the loan is final. Keep your plans flexible until the lender gives clearance.

Here is a typical example, not a specific client. A buyer in Davis County has an accepted offer on a Friday. On Monday, the earnest money is delivered and the inspection is booked. By midweek, the buyer has the seller's disclosures and has asked the lender what is still outstanding.

The inspection finds a roof that is near the end of its life and a minor plumbing leak under a sink. The buyer and agent decide the roof is worth a negotiation and the leak is a small repair. They send a written request before the due diligence deadline. The seller answers with a credit. The buyer accepts, the appraisal comes back in line with the price, and the loan clears on time.

Nothing about that was lucky. Every step happened because someone had the dates written down.

Use a simple one-page list. Include the date, what must happen, who does it, and a reminder two days before. Share it with your agent, your lender and anyone else involved, such as a spouse or co-buyer. Check it every morning during the contract period.

Ask your agent to confirm each date with you in writing right after acceptance. If anything about the contract is unclear, ask before the date, not after. The buying a home page and the process page outline how the steps fit together.

Also plan for the end of the process. Settlement day goes more smoothly when you know your closing costs in advance. See closing costs for Utah buyers. For what to expect in the final days, read what happens at closing in Utah.

Can a deadline be extended? Yes, if both sides agree in writing. The seller does not have to agree, so do not count on it.

What if my inspection finds something serious? Raise it with your agent right away, before the due diligence date. Your options depend on your contract.

Who holds my earnest money? Usually a title company or brokerage, as your contract states.

Is settlement the same as possession? Not always. Check your contract for the possession date.

Can I walk away at any time? No. Your rights depend on the contract and its dates, which is why they matter.

If you are planning to buy in Davis County, start by reading the contract form before you need it, so the dates are not a surprise. Charisse Walker is a real estate agent with Chalker Properties Group in Salt Lake and Davis County, Utah, and a licensed mortgage lender. If you want to talk through how your purchase would be scheduled, you can reach out on the contact page. We will start with your move date and work back from there.