Good Questions, Straight Answers

It depends on the price and the house far more than on the month. A well-priced home in the Sacramento region usually draws serious offers within the first few weeks, and once you accept one, escrow commonly runs another 30 to 45 days. A loan that needs an appraisal and a second look can stretch the end of it. The variable people underestimate is the front end: how long you hold a price the market will not pay is a decision, not a market condition.

More than most sellers expect, and all of it is ordinary. There is the listing agreement, the disclosures about the property and its condition, escrow instructions, and the closing documents at the end. Some disclosures are required by California law and some are requested by the buyer. I go through each one before you sign it, and I would rather you ask a question twice than sign something you do not understand.

Yes, and you are in the majority. Almost every seller has a mortgage on the property, and it is paid off from the sale proceeds at closing rather than by you beforehand. What matters is the gap between the sale price and what you owe, because that gap is roughly what you keep, less the costs of selling. If you owe more than the house is worth, that is a different conversation and it is worth having early rather than late.

The buyer’s investigation period comes first, which is usually the inspection and the appraisal, followed by whatever repairs or credits they want to ask for. After that it is escrow: the title review, the loan, the disclosures, then your signatures at the end. A final walkthrough happens shortly before closing. This stage asks less of you than the preparation did, but it runs on deadlines, and the deadlines are the part to keep an eye on.

It is negotiated rather than fixed, and it goes in writing before anything is signed. Since the practice changes in 2024, buyers agree compensation with their own agent, and a seller may be asked to contribute toward it as part of an offer. Whether you agree, and how much, is a decision you make with the offer in front of you and the net proceeds worked out beside it. Nothing about it is automatic.

It happens, and it is rarely the end of anything. A sale can fail on financing, on an inspection, or because a buyer gets cold feet, and the house usually goes back on the market with the preparation already done. The useful questions are what the contract lets you keep if it fails, how quickly you can be back in front of buyers, and whether the next buyer will ask for the same thing the last one did. All of that is easier to settle at the point of the offer than after the fact.

A lender reviews your income, debts, credit and savings, and then tells you what they are willing to lend. Expect to provide pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements and identification, and to wait days rather than weeks. It does two things at once, which is why it matters before you start looking: it gives you a real budget, and it tells a seller that your offer can actually close.

You pay for them, and they are worth the money. The general home inspection is the main one, and depending on the property a sewer line, roof, pest or structural inspection may be worth adding. Go to them. An inspector explains what they are looking at while they are looking at it, which is far more useful than a report that arrives four days later. Anything they find is what the inspection contingency exists for.

Escrow is a neutral third party that holds the money and the paperwork until every condition is met, then records the transfer. Once your offer is accepted, the title company opens it and your deposit is held there rather than by the seller. During escrow you finish your loan, complete inspections, review disclosures and sign. It closes when the loan funds and the deed records, and that is the day you get the keys.

Each one is an exit from a different problem. The inspection contingency covers what is wrong with the house, the appraisal contingency covers paying more than a lender thinks it is worth, the loan contingency covers your financing falling through, and the title and disclosure review covers who owns the property and what you are being told about it. Give one up and you give up the exit with it. Sometimes that is a reasonable trade, and sometimes it is how people end up owning a house they did not want.

Then somebody has to cover the difference, because a lender only lends against the appraised value. You can renegotiate the price, pay the gap in cash, or use your appraisal contingency and walk away. None of those are pleasant in the moment, which is why it is worth deciding which one you would choose before you write the offer instead of after.

Only if your lender escrows them, so budget for them either way. Property taxes, homeowner’s insurance and any HOA dues sit on top of principal and interest. In the newer parts of the region, special assessments and Mello-Roos districts apply as well, and they can move a payment that looked comfortable on a rate quote alone. I look those up before we tour a house, not after.

Both, in two separate businesses, and the distinction is worth being clear about. Kevin Lucano, REALTOR®, DRE #02430847, with Windermere Signature Properties, is the representation side and it is what this site is for. Lucano Buys Houses is a separate property acquisition business that buys houses directly. They are never the same transaction, and you are never pushed from one into the other.

It depends on the house, the market, your timeline and how much work you want to take on. A strong listing normally produces a higher price. A direct purchase removes repairs, showings and waiting. The right answer is usually visible once you have an honest number for both, which is what I will give you.

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