The stretch
From offer to keys
This is the part that feels like it will never end. It ends. The file stays on this desk until it does.
-
01
Offer accepted
Send us the contract the same day. We read dates, inspection window, financing clause, and whether the house type still fits the program — condo, manufactured, well and septic, multi-unit.
-
02
Inspection
Something will be wrong. Roofs, sewers, and furnaces are normal in this market. We care whether the program can live with the condition and whether a seller credit still leaves you fundable.
-
03
Appraisal
If it comes in low we have three moves: price, cash, or program. We run those the day it posts. Do not panic-text the group chat until we have the number.
-
04
Insurance
You pick the agent. We need a binder that matches the loan amount and the occupancy. Flood zones around Buckeye Lake and some river streets are their own conversation.
-
05
Conditions
Underwriting will ask for one more thing. That is normal. Radio silence is not. This branch answers, and we tell you what is still open.
-
06
Closing day
You get a Closing Disclosure at least three business days before signing. Wire only to the title company using a number you verified out loud. Then keys.
After you have keys
The first mortgage payment is usually skipped for a month — prepaid interest at closing covers the gap. Escrow pays taxes and insurance when they come due. If something looks wrong on the first statement, call the branch before you call a random servicing number you googled.
Questions
- How long from offer to keys?
- A clean file in this market often closes in the window written in the contract — commonly around 30 days. Thin documentation and property issues add time. We work the date that is already on the page.
- What if the appraisal is late?
- We chase it. You should not be the person calling the appraiser. If the contract date is at risk we say so early, not the afternoon of closing.
- Can I move money the morning of closing?
- You can. You should not. Wires bounce and fraud alerts freeze accounts. Have cash to close parked and sourced before the CD goes out.
Keep reading
More first-time guides
-
Before you tour
Get ready to buy
What “first-time buyer” means, how debt-to-income works, and what to stop doing 60 days out.
-
Paperwork
Documents and where to find them
Paystubs, bank PDFs, tax transcripts, rent history, and how to pull each one without a scavenger hunt.
-
The money
Down payment and cash to close
Earnest money, closing costs, seller credits, gifts, and Ohio down payment assistance — one number, not five.
-
The payment we count
Student loans and a mortgage
Deferred, income-driven, parent PLUS, and why paying them off mid-file can backfire.
-
Income that is not a W-2
Self-employed and 1099 buyers
Two years of returns, add-backs, a current P&L, and why a brand-new LLC does not qualify you overnight.
-
Two names
Buying with a partner or parent
Who goes on the loan, who goes on title, occupancy rules, and when a co-signer actually helps.
-
The house type
Condos, manufactured, well and septic
Warrantable condos, titled manufactured homes, private well, and septic — what kills a file before the appraisal.
-
House hack
Owner-occupied 2–4 units
Live in one unit, rent the others. How FHA and conventional treat rental income on a first purchase.
-
Build or buy
New construction vs resale
Builder contracts, rate locks that expire, specs that change, and why a resale file is a different clock.
Start here
We will run the dates with you
In contract already? Call (740) 314-5324 and send the agreement the same day.