Under the standard Arizona purchase contract, the clock starts the day after your offer is accepted. Earnest money goes to escrow at acceptance. Within three days you apply for your loan and the seller delivers the disclosure statement. Your inspection period runs ten days unless the contract says otherwise, and your lender sends a Loan Status Update within ten days. Then come the appraisal, the title review, the Closing Disclosure, signing, a final walkthrough within five days of closing, and recording, which is when the home becomes yours.
Once your offer is accepted, you're in escrow, and a lot happens in a few weeks. The standard Arizona purchase contract sets most of the deadlines, and missing one can cost you leverage or even your earnest money. Here's the timeline in order, so you always know what's coming next.
Every contract can change these numbers, so your own contract always controls. What follows is how it works under the standard Arizona REALTORS Residential Resale Purchase Contract when the default timelines are used.
How the days are counted
The standard contract counts calendar days, not business days. The day your offer is accepted is day zero, and counting starts the next day. When something has to happen "three days prior to" the closing date, that means three full days before. If you close on a Friday, a three day deadline falls at the end of Monday. Small details like this are why I keep a dated list of every deadline from the first day.
The timeline at a glance
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day 0 | Offer accepted, escrow opened, earnest money deposited |
| Within 3 days | You apply for the loan; seller delivers the disclosure statement and notice of any leased items |
| Within 5 days | Seller delivers the insurance claims history |
| Within 10 days | Inspection period ends and you deliver your repair request; your lender delivers the Loan Status Update |
| Days 10 to 20 or so | Seller responds to your repair request, appraisal, title review |
| At least 3 business days before signing | You receive your Closing Disclosure from the lender |
| 3 days before closing | Loan documents signed |
| Within 5 days before closing | Final walkthrough |
| Closing day | Funding and recording; the home is yours |
Now let's walk through each step.
Step 1: Acceptance and escrow
When both sides sign, escrow opens with the title company named in the contract, and you deposit your earnest money. If you're wiring it, confirm the instructions by phone first. See How earnest money works in Arizona.
Step 2: The first three days
Within three days, you complete your loan application with your lender if you haven't already, and give permission to pull your credit. The seller delivers the Seller's Property Disclosure Statement and notice of any leased items, like solar or a water softener. Read the disclosure as soon as it arrives. You have a window after you receive it to raise concerns.
If the home is in an HOA, the association's documents come in this early stretch too. Read the CC&Rs and the budget. More in Understanding your HOA before you buy.
Step 3: The inspection period
The inspection period is ten days after acceptance unless your contract says otherwise. This is the most important window for you as a buyer. Schedule your home inspection right away, plus any specialists you need, like a termite inspection, a roof inspection or a pool inspection. Before the period ends, you deliver your Buyer's Inspection Notice and Seller's Response, or BINSR, asking for repairs or credits, or canceling.
The seller then has five days to respond. If the seller won't agree to everything, you get a short window to decide whether to move forward or cancel. More in What to expect from an Arizona home inspection and How to negotiate repairs after the inspection.
Step 4: Loan Status Update
Within ten days of acceptance, your lender delivers the Loan Status Update, which tells the seller where your loan stands. Arizona REALTORS has explained that this update controls the loan terms over the earlier pre qualification form when they differ. During this stretch, don't change jobs, open new credit or make big purchases without talking to your lender first.
Step 5: Appraisal and title
Your lender orders the appraisal, which checks that the home is worth at least the price for loan purposes. If it comes in low, the appraisal contingency in the contract gives you options. See What to expect from a home appraisal.
At the same time, the title company prepares a title commitment showing the legal owner, any liens and the recorded documents that affect the property. Read it, and ask about anything you don't understand. More in Title insurance and escrow in Arizona.
Also line up your homeowners insurance now. Your lender will need proof of it before closing.
Step 6: Closing Disclosure and signing
Federal rules require you to receive your Closing Disclosure at least three business days before you can sign your final loan documents. Compare it to your Loan Estimate line by line. Under the standard contract, loan documents are signed no later than three days before the closing date. You'll sign at the escrow company or with a mobile notary, and bring your closing funds by wire or cashier's check as escrow instructs.
Step 7: Final walkthrough
Within five days before closing, you get a final walkthrough. Check that agreed repairs were made, that everything that's supposed to stay is still there, and that the AC, appliances and plumbing work. If something's wrong, speak up before closing. Afterward may be too late. See The week before your closing.
Step 8: Funding and recording
On closing day, your lender funds the loan, escrow pays everyone, and the deed is recorded with the county recorder. In Arizona, the sale is complete when it records. Unless your contract says otherwise, possession and keys come at that point too.
The bottom line
An Arizona closing runs on deadlines, and almost every problem I've seen in escrow came from one that slipped. Know your dates, read what arrives, and say something the moment anything feels off.
Want a dated timeline built from your own contract? That's something I do for every buyer, and I'm happy to walk you through it.
Questions, answered.
How long is the inspection period in Arizona?
Ten days after acceptance under the standard Arizona purchase contract, unless the parties agree to a different number.
When does the seller have to give me the disclosure statement?
Under the standard contract, within three days after acceptance.
When is the final walkthrough in Arizona?
Under the standard contract, the buyer can do a walkthrough within five days before the closing date.
When do I get my Closing Disclosure?
Federal rules require you to receive it at least three business days before you sign your final loan documents.
When does an Arizona home become mine?
When the deed is recorded with the county recorder on closing day. Possession usually comes at that point unless the contract says otherwise.
Want to talk it through?
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