My Offer Was Accepted—Now What? Your Florida Homebuyer’s Checklist Explained

In this episode of Jim Sells the Suncoast, Jim outlines the crucial steps every buyer should tackle after their offer is accepted. From home inspections to the final walkthrough, follow this checklist to avoid last-minute surprises and ensure a smoother journey to homeownership.

Key Highlights

1. Home Inspection
   • Book a Licensed Inspector: Check for roof, electrical, plumbing, or structural issues before moving in.
   • Optional Extra Inspections: Termite, mold, radon, and lead paint tests may be required depending on the property’s age or your lender’s requirements.
2. Appraisal & Property Value
   • What Happens: Lenders send an appraiser to confirm the home is worth the agreed price.
   • Low Appraisal Options: Negotiate the price, cover the gap, or cancel if the seller won’t budge.
3. Finalizing Your Mortgage
   • Stay Financially Steady: Avoid major purchases or opening new credit lines until after closing.
   • Prompt Paperwork: Respond to lender requests for any additional documentation (tax returns, pay stubs, etc.).
4. Survey & Title Work
   • Survey: Ensures accurate boundary lines, preventing future disputes.
   • Title Search & Insurance: Detects unpaid liens or claims on the property and protects you from hidden legal issues.
5. Seller Disclosures
   • Legal Obligations: Sellers must share known issues (e.g., flood damage, termites, or even hauntings!).
   • Verify: Cross-check disclosures with your inspection report to spot any discrepancies.
6. Final Walkthrough
   • Check Repairs & Condition: Confirm agreed-upon repairs are done and appliances/fixtures remain.
   • Time Matters: Speak up before signing if anything is missing or unresolved.
7. Closing Day & Beyond
   • Bring ID & Funds: Review the closing documents carefully and wire any down payment or closing costs.
   • Utilities & Address Change: Transfer electric, water, internet, etc., and update banks or subscriptions.
   • Celebrate!: You’ve officially become a homeowner—take a moment to savor your new beginning.

What’s Next?

Need help navigating Florida’s homebuying process or ensuring each step goes smoothly? Reach out to Jim at jim.ahearn@gmail.com or visit Jim Sells the Suncoast. From negotiations to neighborhood insights, Jim’s here to keep it stress-free—and maybe even fun. Happy home hunting!

A Personal Note from Jim:

Hey there, I’m Jim Ahearn, your go-to real estate guide and host of Jim Sells The Suncoast podcast! 🎙️✨ Dreaming of Florida life? I’ve got you covered! As your dedicated buyer's agent, I’ll handle everything from walk-throughs to closing, making your home-buying journey as smooth as a Florida breeze.

Whether you're local or tuning in from afar, I’ll bring the Suncoast to you with virtual tours and expert advice. Let’s chat about your dream home and I'll connect you with all the right people to make it happen.

Ready to move to paradise? Drop me a line – I can’t wait to help! 🌴🏡

Transcript

Jim: 0:52

Welcome back to Jim sells the Suncoast, the podcast, where we take the stress out of home buying at a sprinkle of humor and keep things moving faster than a Florida's afternoon thunderstorm. I'm agent Jim, your real estate guru, podcaster, and unofficial guide to survive in the wild world of home buying. Today we're tackling the big question of my offer got accepted. Now what? If you think it's time to pop the champagne and start measuring for furniture, hold that thought. We've got some serious business to take care of first. So grab a pen, a coffee, a margarita. I won't judge. And let's break down your Florida home buyers post acceptance checklist. Step one inspections AKA the property checkup. First things first, book a home inspection. A licensed inspector is going to poke around the place like a detective looking for clues. And trust me, you want them to find everything before you move in. This means checking for roof issues, electrical problems, plumbing leaks, basically all the things you don't want to discover after you've unpacked. Think of a home inspection like a first date. If there are too many red flags, you might want to reconsider your choices. Some extra inspections you might need. Termite, mold, radon, or lead based paint. Florida loves humidity and humidity loves mold. So if the place smells like a gym locker, get it checked out. Depending on your funding, you may need some of these as a requirement from your lender. So make sure that you're checking with your lender and your realtor and making sure that you get everything ordered. Review those inspection findings. Your inspector will give you a report detailing everything they found. And now's the time to talk with a real estate agent about what's a deal breaker and what's just cosmetic. Some fixes are simple. Others like a crumbling foundation or a whole different ballgame. If repairs are needed, you have options negotiate repairs with the sellers, ask for credits, or walk away. If things look really bad, remember no home was perfect, but you don't want to move into a money pit. Unless of course you enjoy re bottling nightmares, then by all means go for it. Step three, the appraisal. What's it really worth? Your lender is about to send an appraiser over to make sure the home is actually worth what you're paying for it. If the appraisal comes in at or above the purchase price, fantastic. If the difference is low, you've got some decisions to make. You have the right to renegotiate, cover the difference, or even back out if the seller won't budge. Florida's market can be tricky, so make sure you're working with a savvy agent who knows how to handle this. Step four, secure that loan. Time to finalize your mortgage. Your lender might ask for more paperwork, because why not? They haven't asked for enough tax returns, pay stubs, and DNA samples yet, right? Stay on top of your emails. And don't make big financial moves right now. No buying a car, opening new credit cards, or investing in a pet flamingo. Anything that changes your financial status could mess up your loan approval. Step five, survey and title work. Time to dot those I's and cross those T's. You will need a survey to confirm property boundaries because you don't want to find out later that half your backyard belongs to your neighbor. A title search to make sure there are no legal issues or unpaid liens. Title insurance to protect yourself in case any sneaky claims pop up down the road. Your title company handles all this, but your job is to stay informed. If anything seems off, ask questions and it is okay to reach out and say, Hey, have you gotten these yet? Don't wait until the last day to find out, Oh, we still need a survey. Step six, reviewing sellers disclosures. The seller is legally required to tell you about any known issues with the home. This is not the time for surprises. If the disclosure mentions past flood damage, a history of termites, or that the house was once haunted you need to know. Compare disclosure with your inspection report. If anything doesn't add up, bring it up now. Step seven, the final walkthrough. We're almost there. A day or two before closing, or right before closing, we do a final walkthrough. One, make sure the house is in the condition you agreed on. Two, double check that all negotiated repairs were completed. And three, confirm appliances and fixtures that were supposed to stay are, in fact, still there. Yeah, some sellers have been known to take the fridge, or even ceiling fans, or even blinds. and take them with them. If anything is up, speak up before signing that paperwork. Step eight, closing day, the home stretch. You've made it. Here's what's happening at closing. Bring a valid ID. Have your funds ready to wire or down payment, closing costs, et cetera. You'll have all that information ahead of time. Review your closing documents carefully. This includes your loan arrangement deed and title paperwork. And this is where you officially sign your life away. Just kidding. But really, once you sign the final papers, you're a homeowner and the best part, you get the keys. Step nine, setting up your home. You did it. Now don't forget to transfer utilities. Electricity, water, gas, internet. No, unless you prefer to live off the grid, of course, change your address with the post office banks and other important contacts, go out and meet the neighbors, or at least figure out which ones we'll let you borrow a cup of sugar and finally celebrate. You survived the home buying process. And that really is no small feat. So in closing, that's a wrap on today's episode of Jim sells the Suncoast. If you found this checklist helpful, share it with a friend, leave a review and subscribe for more real estate wisdom delivered with just the right amount of snark, and if you're buying or selling a home in Florida, give me a call, I'd love to help you navigate the process and maybe even have a little fun along the way until next time. Happy home.