What happens after you accept an offer on your Montgomery County, PA home?

Once both parties sign the Pennsylvania Agreement of Sale, the Execution Date is set and a series of contractual deadlines begins. Expect earnest money delivered within 1–3 business days, buyer inspections completed within 7–10 days, appraisal and title work running through weeks two to four, mortgage underwriting completing by the contractual commitment deadline (typically 21–45 days out), and settlement at a title company once the buyer reaches a clear to close.

Key Takeaways

• The Execution Date, the day the last party signs the PAR Standard Agreement of Sale, starts every contractual clock, including inspection, financing, and title-review deadlines.
• Earnest money is typically due within 1–3 business days of execution and is held in escrow by the listing broker, buyer's broker, or the title company handling settlement.
• The inspection period defaults to 10 days under the PAR form if the parties leave it blank; Greater Philadelphia practice commonly runs 7–10 calendar days.
• Recent local market data shows a median sale price of $582,150 and a median of 49 days on market in Collegeville, meaning most sellers here are navigating this exact timeline right now.
• Pennsylvania imposes a 1% state realty transfer tax on the property value; local municipal and school-district portions commonly bring the total to around 2%, and who pays what is negotiable between the parties.

What does the week-by-week timeline look like from offer to closing?

The short answer: it moves fast, and the milestones are real deadlines, not suggestions. Here is how I walk my clients through it.

Days 0–3: Execution and earnest money

The deal becomes legally binding the moment the last party signs. That date is the Execution Date, and it is the reference point for almost every deadline that follows. If you sign on a Tuesday, Tuesday is Day Zero.

Within 1–3 business days of execution, the buyer is required to deliver their earnest money deposit. That money goes into escrow, held by the listing broker, the buyer's broker, or the title company, depending on what the contract specifies. As the seller, you will not see that money directly, but your agent should confirm receipt. It matters: if the buyer defaults outside a valid contingency, the deposit may be the seller's remedy.

Days 1–10: The inspection window

This is the stretch that generates the most seller anxiety, and honestly, it deserves attention.

Under the PAR Standard Agreement of Sale, if the parties do not specify an inspection period, it defaults to 10 calendar days. In Greater Philadelphia practice, the negotiated window commonly runs 7–10 days, sometimes up to 15 on older or more complex properties.

During that window, the buyer will typically schedule:

• A general home inspection
• A termite and pest inspection
• Radon testing
• A sewer scope (common on older Montgomery County homes)
• Any specialty inspections the contract allows

After inspections wrap, the buyer delivers a written response. That response is one of three things: a request for repairs, a request for a credit at closing, or an acceptance of the home as-is. As the seller, you then have your own defined window to respond, agree, counter, or decline.

Here is the part sellers often miss: inspection outcomes are negotiable, not automatic. You can decline a repair request. Depending on how the inspection contingency is written, that refusal may give the buyer the right to terminate and recover their deposit, or it may not. This is exactly the kind of decision point I work through with my clients before we respond to a single repair request, because the language in the contract controls what each side can do.

Days 10–21: Appraisal ordered and title work begins

Once inspections are resolved, the lender moves into full gear. The buyer formally submits their loan application (if they have not already), and the lender orders an appraisal.

For financed buyers in Montgomery County, the appraiser is typically scheduled and visits the property within 7–21 days of the lender placing the order. The appraiser will pull recent comparable sales from the local MLS and compare them to your home's condition, size, and features.

Two outcomes are possible:

• Appraisal at or above contract price: The loan moves forward normally.
• Appraisal below contract price: This is the decision fork. The buyer can increase their down payment to cover the gap, you can agree to a price reduction, or the parties can split the difference. What you cannot do is ignore it, the lender will not fund a loan above appraised value.

Simultaneously, the title company begins its title search on your Montgomery County property. That search looks for liens, judgments, easements, open permits, or other defects that could cloud ownership. The buyer has a defined window, typically 10–15 days after receiving the title commitment, to raise any objections. Most titles come back clean; when they do not, the title company works to resolve the issue before closing.

Weeks 3–5: Mortgage underwriting and clear to close

This is the quietest stretch for sellers, and also the one where deals quietly fall apart if buyers are not prepared.

The Agreement of Sale specifies a mortgage commitment deadline, the date by which the buyer must deliver a written loan commitment or properly terminate the contract. In Greater Philadelphia practice, that deadline typically falls 21–45 days after execution, depending on lender, loan type, and contract terms.

During underwriting, the lender verifies income, assets, employment, and credit. They review the appraisal report and check the title commitment to confirm the property is insurable. The lender may issue a conditional approval first, requiring the buyer to satisfy specific items before final approval. Once those conditions are cleared, the lender issues a final approval and the buyer reaches "clear to close."

As a seller, your job during this window is simple: keep the property in the agreed condition, do not make material changes, and respond promptly to any requests your agent brings you. Delays here are almost always on the buyer's side, but they affect your closing date.

What happens at the closing table in Montgomery County?

In Pennsylvania, closings are handled by a title company, not a closing attorney, which is common in other states. The title company coordinates every moving part in the final days before settlement.

In the final week before closing:

• The title company balances final figures and confirms payoff amounts on your existing mortgage(s).
• The buyer receives a Closing Disclosure at least 3 business days before settlement, a federal requirement for financed transactions that locks in the final numbers.
• The title company prepares the closing package, including the deed you will sign.

On closing day, you sign the deed and your closing documents. The title company collects and remits the Pennsylvania realty transfer tax at recording. Per the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, the state imposes a 1% realty transfer tax on the value of the property transferred. Local municipalities and school districts in Pennsylvania can add their own portion on top of the state rate, as illustrated by examples like neighboring Bucks County, and in practice the combined total commonly runs around 2% across many Pennsylvania counties. Who pays which portion is negotiable between buyer and seller and should be confirmed in your specific contract.

Once the deed is recorded with the Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds, ownership transfers to the buyer and the title company disburses your net proceeds.

A snapshot of current market context

Recent local market data gives you a sense of where Montgomery County sellers stand heading into this process. These are area-level medians, your home's specific value depends on condition, street, build year, and timing.

Days on market vary meaningfully across these communities, and that variation affects how much negotiating leverage a buyer brings to the inspection and appraisal conversations. Knowing where your home sits in that context is part of how I help sellers respond strategically, not just reactively, at every milestone.

Frequently Asked Questions

After I accept an offer on my Montgomery County house, when does the buyer have to send their earnest money deposit?

The earnest money deadline is set in the Agreement of Sale, and in Greater Philadelphia practice it is typically 1–3 business days after the Execution Date, the day the last party signs. Your agent should confirm receipt into escrow; if the deposit does not arrive by the contractual deadline, that is a default worth addressing immediately.

How many days does a buyer usually get for home inspections in Pennsylvania?

Under the PAR Standard Agreement of Sale, the inspection period defaults to 10 calendar days from the Execution Date if the parties do not specify a different window. In Greater Philadelphia practice, the negotiated period commonly runs 7–10 days, though it can extend to 15 on more complex properties. All timelines are counted from the Execution Date and are defined in your specific contract.

If the inspection finds issues, can I refuse repairs and still keep the deal alive?

As a seller in Pennsylvania, you can decline a buyer's repair request, but whether the deal survives depends entirely on how the inspection contingency is written in the Agreement of Sale. Some contingency elections give the buyer the right to terminate if you refuse; others require the buyer to proceed or negotiate. The written response deadlines in the contract matter just as much as the substance of the request, so I always review the contingency language carefully before advising a seller on how to respond.

When does the appraisal happen after we go under contract, and what if it comes in low?

For financed buyers, the lender typically orders the appraisal after inspections are resolved, and the appraiser usually visits the property within 7–21 days of the order being placed. If the appraisal comes in below the contract price, the most common outcomes are a price reduction, the buyer covering the gap with additional down payment, or a split between the parties, none of which happen automatically, so expect a negotiation.

Who pays the real estate transfer tax when selling a home in Montgomery County, PA?

There is no Pennsylvania statute that mandates a specific split of the transfer tax between buyer and seller, it is a negotiable term in the Agreement of Sale. The state imposes a 1% realty transfer tax on the property's value, and local municipalities and school districts can add their own portion, commonly bringing the combined total to around 2% in many Pennsylvania counties. Confirm how it is allocated in your specific contract.

What does the title company actually do between offer acceptance and closing?

The title company conducts a title search on your property to identify any liens, judgments, or defects, then issues a title commitment and eventually a title insurance policy. At closing, the title company coordinates payoff of your existing mortgage, collects and remits the state and local transfer tax, handles recording of the deed with the Montgomery County Recorder of Deeds, and disburses your net proceeds.

If the buyer backs out during the inspection period in Pennsylvania, do they automatically get their earnest money back?

Not automatically, it depends on whether the buyer followed the contingency procedures in the Agreement of Sale, including delivering written notice within the defined inspection period. If the buyer complied with the contingency terms, they generally have the right to recover their deposit. If they missed a deadline or terminated outside the contingency window, the deposit may be at risk. Earnest money disputes in Pennsylvania hinge on the specific language and timelines in the signed contract.

The timeline is manageable, when you know what's coming

Every milestone between offer acceptance and closing is defined in the Agreement of Sale, and knowing what to expect at each one is the difference between a smooth transaction and a stressful one. I walk my sellers through this timeline before we ever go under contract, so there are no surprises when the inspection response lands or the appraisal comes back.

If you are preparing to sell in Collegeville, Phoenixville, Blue Bell, Ambler, or anywhere else in Montgomery County, I am glad to walk you through what your specific timeline would look like. Reach out and let's talk through it.

Want to know what your home is worth before you get to the offer stage? Get an instant home value estimate here.

Equal Housing Opportunity. Dawn A. Kummerer is an Associate Broker with Realty ONE Group Restore, licensed by the PA Real Estate Commission. This article is general information only, not legal, tax, or financial advice. Confirm your specific costs, timelines, and contract terms with your title company, tax advisor, or lender.