After your Tucson home sale is accepted, here's exactly what happens — escrow, inspections, the BINSR, appraisal, and closing day, explained step by step.
In Tucson, an accepted offer isn’t the finish line — it’s the start of an escrow process with real deadlines: a 10-day inspection period, a 5-day BINSR response window, a lender-ordered appraisal, and (if there’s an HOA) a 5-day disapproval period, before you reach “clear to close” and closing day.
By Michelle Ripley
The offer on your home just got accepted. Congratulations — that’s the hard part. But a lot of Tucson sellers think that’s the finish line. It’s actually just the start — the first hurdle. Let’s walk through what happens the moment you accept.
Escrow Opens the Moment Your Offer Is Accepted
The second the buyer’s offer is accepted — meaning both sides have signed — escrow opens with a local escrow company. Here’s a distinction a lot of sellers never get explained: escrow and title are two different jobs.
The escrow company is the neutral third party that holds the money, the documents, and the deadlines until closing day. The title company is the one that researches the property’s ownership history, issues title insurance, and confirms the seller can legally transfer clear title. I kind of call it a background check for a property.
In Tucson, a lot of companies do both, which is why people use the words interchangeably. But they’re two separate functions, and both are working toward the same goal: a clean closing.
Earnest Money and the 10-Day Inspection Period
Within the first few days after acceptance, the buyer delivers their earnest money — their good faith deposit — directly into the escrow company’s account. That’s typically 1% to 3% of the purchase price, more often than not it’s 1%, but it’s negotiable in your contract. It shows you that the buyer is serious about purchasing your home.
Right after that, the buyer is on a 10-day timer. In Arizona, the standard purchase contract gives the buyer 10 calendar days from acceptance to complete their inspections, unless your contract says otherwise — because that’s negotiable too. Here in Tucson, that almost always means a comprehensive home inspection: roof, HVAC, sewer scope, and termite inspections. Our summers are hard on all of them, and buyers know it.
That sewer scope is one I’d never skip on, especially in a home 10 years old or older — tree roots and sludge buildup are real risks over time, and it’s a cheap inspection compared to the repair expense it can save you from. And termites in Tucson? It’s not a matter of if, it’s when — don’t let that scare you. They’re containable and serviceable, and it’s a routine part of homeownership here.
If you’re curious about what inspectors are actually looking for during that 10-day window, we put together a full breakdown of the different types of inspections buyers can order — check out The Arizona Home Inspection Guide Nobody Gives You. Understanding what’s coming from the other side of the table makes this whole negotiation a lot less stressful.
The BINSR: What Happens After Inspections
Once those inspections are done, the buyer submits something called the BINSR — the Buyer’s Inspection Notice and Seller’s Response. This is the document where they list what they found and what they want addressed. It’s basically what they’ve flagged about the property — and if they’ve decided it’s not the right home for them, this is the point where they can cancel and get a full return of their earnest money.
This is also called their due diligence window — the time to look into everything that matters to them: the neighbors, the schools, the commute, the services nearby. It’s their chance to decide whether they really want to move forward.
Here’s the part that trips sellers up: once you receive that BINSR, you only have 5 days to respond. Five days to decide what you’ll fix, what you won’t, and what you might offer as a credit instead. Don’t worry — we always keep our sellers on track for that deadline.
Here’s what a lot of sellers don’t realize: if you don’t respond at all, that’s read as a no — not willing to repair anything — and the buyer makes their decision based on that. It’s a rare situation, but it does happen. And if you say no to any part of their request, the buyer again has the right to cancel and get a full return of their earnest money.
This is genuinely where a skilled agent earns their fee, because knowing the difference between a reasonable ask and an unreasonable one is what protects your bottom line.
You’re Not Coordinating Repairs Alone
If you do agree to repairs, here’s something most sellers don’t expect: you don’t have to coordinate them all alone. If you prefer, our team works directly with trusted vendors and contractors to get every agreed repair scheduled and completed. We get the estimates first, you approve them, and then we go from there. We keep the receipts, give you copies, and the escrow company has proof ready if it’s ever requested. In most cases, contractors are happy to be paid out of your proceeds at close of escrow, so you’re not out of pocket during the transaction. By the time we get to the closing stretch, that part’s already handled.
A Real Oro Valley Example
I worked with a seller in Oro Valley not long ago whose buyer came back with a BINSR asking for a full roof replacement over what turned out to be a small, repairable flashing issue. We got a second opinion, brought that estimate to the table instead of just agreeing, and settled it with a $600 credit instead of a $12,000 roof.
The lesson here: a BINSR request isn’t automatically the final word. You’re allowed to negotiate it, research it, and get additional estimates — and sometimes those opinions make the difference between a fair fix and a wildly overpaid one.
The Appraisal: Protecting the Lender, Not You
Once repairs are settled, there’s one more hurdle, and this one isn’t really about you. Your buyer’s lender is going to order an appraisal. This exists to protect the lender, not you — they need to confirm the home supports the loan amount before they’ll fund it. An appraiser comes out, looks at the property, and compares it to recent sales nearby.
This matters more in some pockets of our market than others. In fast-appreciating areas like Marana, for example, recent comps can sometimes lag behind what’s actually happening on the ground — which occasionally means an appraisal comes in under the contract price.
If that happens, you’ve got a few paths forward: the buyer can bring additional cash to cover the gap, you can renegotiate the price, or in some cases the two of you split the difference. I want to be clear that this is a normal part of the process, not a red flag on your sale. It happens more often than people expect, and it’s very rarely the end of a deal.
One of the proactive things we do to help: before the appraiser comes out, we put together a package supporting the price — comps, receipts for major improvements, and a list of upgrades the appraiser might not know about. It doesn’t guarantee the number, but it gives the appraiser the full picture and improves the odds that the appraisal comes in supporting your contract price.
If the Home Is in an HOA
If the home is in an HOA, there’s one more track running alongside all of this. The escrow company will order the HOA information package — the association’s governing documents, budget and rules, and the CC&Rs (the covenants, conditions, and restrictions that govern the neighborhood).
Under the HOA addendum, the buyer gets 5 days after receiving those documents to disapprove of anything they don’t like. The addendum also spells out who pays for what — transfer fees, prepaid association fees, capital contribution fees, and disclosure fees — although disclosure fees are required by law to be paid by the seller.
Clear to Close: The Home Stretch
Once the appraisal is settled and any HOA documents are in order, here’s the home stretch. “Clear to close” is the phrase you’re waiting for. It usually lands one to three business days before your actual closing date, and it’s the lender’s confirmation that everything’s in order to fund the loan for the buyer.
Around the same time, you’ll receive your settlement statement — the final itemized statement of every cost, credit, and fee in the deal. As the seller, you’ll typically sign your closing documents separately from the buyer, often a day or two ahead of their signing appointment. And remember: the repairs from the BINSR need to be completed at least three days prior to close, and prior to the buyer’s final walkthrough at the latest.
The cleanest closings I’ve seen are the ones where sellers treat these last two weeks with the same seriousness as the inspection period — but with us handling the repair logistics, you get to focus on everything else.
Final Walkthrough and Closing Day
Within 24 hours of closing, it’s standard for the buyer to perform their final walkthrough. This is them confirming the home is in the same condition as it was when they made their offer, and that any promised repairs were actually completed.
Assuming that goes smoothly, closing day itself is fairly simple on your end. Your documents get signed, and the sale becomes official the moment it’s recorded with the Pima County Recorder. Proceeds are typically available within 24 business hours, where they’ll hit your account, or you can pick up a check from the escrow company.
Bringing It All Together
To recap the path from an accepted offer to closing day:
- Contract is accepted and escrow opens with the escrow company
- Earnest money is deposited
- You move through the 10-day inspection period and the BINSR negotiation — if repairs come up, our team can handle the coordination with vetted vendors so you’re never juggling that alone
- The appraisal comes in, and the HOA package is delivered if there’s an association
- You review your settlement statement
- The buyer gets clear to close
- You sign your closing documents at the escrow company
- The buyer does their final walkthrough and signs their loan docs at escrow
- It’s recorded — and done
Every one of these steps has a real timeline attached to it, but none of them have to be stressful if you know what’s coming — which is exactly why we wanted to walk through this with you.
What part of this process worries you most as a seller — the inspection negotiation, the appraisal, or just the paperwork?
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the difference between escrow and title in Arizona? Escrow is the neutral third party holding the money, documents, and deadlines until closing. Title researches the property’s ownership history, issues title insurance, and confirms clear title can be transferred. In Tucson, many companies handle both functions.
How much earnest money does a buyer typically put down in Tucson? Usually 1% to 3% of the purchase price, most commonly around 1%. The exact amount is negotiable in the purchase contract.
What is a BINSR, and how long do I have to respond? The BINSR (Buyer’s Inspection Notice and Seller’s Response) is where the buyer lists inspection issues they want addressed. Sellers have 5 days to respond. No response is treated as a flat refusal to make any repairs.
What happens if the appraisal comes in below the contract price? The buyer can bring additional cash to cover the gap, the price can be renegotiated, or both sides can split the difference. It’s a normal part of the process and rarely ends a deal.
What does “clear to close” mean? It’s the lender’s confirmation that everything is in order to fund the buyer’s loan, and it usually happens one to three business days before the actual closing date.
When do I get my proceeds after closing? Typically within 24 business hours of the sale being recorded with the Pima County Recorder — either deposited directly or picked up as a check from the escrow company.
Have Questions About Your Own Sale?
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About the Author
Michelle Ripley is the owner and lead advisor of Ripley’s Real Estate Group with Keller Williams Southern Arizona, ranked among the top 1% of agents nationally. She serves buyers and sellers throughout Tucson, Oro Valley, Marana, and Pima County — from first-time buyers to luxury clients — with an education-first approach backed by data-driven marketing and deep local expertise. A proud Oro Valley resident, Michelle is known for treating every client relationship with the same integrity and care that built her reputation as one of Southern Arizona’s most trusted agents.
