Mo Mufti, REALTOR® LPT Realty, LLC FL Lic. SL3600299
FLORIDA HOME SALES · FROM SIGNED CONTRACT TO CLOSING
In a Florida resale, the calendar is the contract. The Florida Realtors/Florida Bar “AS IS” contract is a standard form approved by both organizations, and it fills in a default deadline whenever a blank is left empty. Here are those deadlines in order, what changes when the buyer pays cash, the clocks that run outside the contract, and what the seller should be doing at each stage.
The short version: The clock starts on the Effective Date, the day the last party signs and delivers the final offer or counteroffer. If the blanks are left empty, the 2026 AS IS form (ASIS-7x) gives the buyer 3 days to make the initial deposit, 5 days to apply for a loan, 10 days for any additional deposit, 15 days for inspections, and 30 days for loan approval. Title evidence is due 15 days before closing, or 5 days in a cash deal; any survey must be done at least 5 days before closing; and the walk-through happens the day before or the day of closing. The closing date has no default: the parties write it in. Time runs in calendar days, and a deadline that lands on a weekend or national legal holiday moves to the next day that isn’t one.
These are the numbers the 2026 form uses when the parties leave a blank empty. Anything written into the blank replaces them, so read your own contract first.
| When | What happens | Where in the contract |
|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Effective Date: when the last of buyer and seller has signed or initialed and delivered the offer or final counteroffer. Florida Realtors’ legal staff says a later amendment doesn’t change it unless the amendment specifically says the parties agree to change the Effective Date. | Paragraph 3(b) |
| Within 3 days | Initial deposit to the escrow agent, unless it came with the offer. | Paragraph 2(a) |
| Within 5 days | Buyer applies for the loan. Seller gives the buyer and closing agent copies of any existing owner’s title policy and survey. If the home is leased, the seller discloses the lease terms and delivers copies. | Paragraphs 8(b)(i), 9(c), 9(d), 6(b) |
| Within 10 days | Any additional deposit. | Paragraph 2(b) |
| Within 15 days | Inspection period ends. The buyer may cancel by written notice before it expires; after that, the buyer accepts the physical condition. | Paragraph 12(a) |
| Within 20 days | Flood-zone cancellation right, if the home is in a Special Flood Hazard Area or coastal barrier area and its lowest floor is below the minimum flood elevation or it can’t get flood insurance. | Paragraph 10(d) |
| Within 30 days | Loan approval period ends. The buyer gives written notice of approval, notice that the buyer is satisfied and will proceed, or termination. If the buyer stays silent, the deal proceeds as if it were cash, and the seller may cancel within 3 days after the period ends. | Paragraph 8(b)(iii)–(v) |
| 15 days before closing (5 if cash) | Title Evidence Deadline for the title commitment. The buyer then has 5 days to object in writing to title defects, and the seller gets a 30-day cure period. | Paragraph 9(c); Standard A |
| At least 10 days before closing | Tenant estoppel letters, if the home is leased. | Standard D |
| At least 5 days before closing | Buyer’s survey, if any. Objections are due within 5 days after the buyer receives it, and no later than closing. | Paragraph 9(d); Standard B |
| Day before or day of closing | Buyer’s walk-through, to confirm personal property is there and the home was maintained. | Paragraph 12(b) |
| Closing | Funds collected and documents delivered. Taxes, CDD assessments, association fees and similar items are prorated through the day before closing. | Paragraph 4; Standard K |
Two timing rules apply throughout. Standard F makes time “of the essence” and counts calendar days where the property is located. And paragraph 5 lets the closing date slide up to 7 days if a financed buyer’s loan is approved and underwritten but federal Closing Disclosure timing holds up the funds.
The loan approval period runs, the lender orders an appraisal if it needs one, and the lender must give the buyer the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing. Title evidence is due 15 days before closing by default.
Paragraph 8(a) replaces the loan contingency, there is no lender appraisal or Closing Disclosure, and the title commitment is due 5 days before closing by default. Inspections, title work, and any association documents still have to fit before the closing date.
The 2026 revision of the form (ASIS-7x, available from February 27, 2026) updated Standard I(iii) for FinCEN’s residential real estate reporting rule. FinCEN says a federal court vacated that rule on March 19, 2026, and that while the order stands, reporting persons aren’t required to file. Ask the closing agent what applies on your date.
Some deadlines come from statutes or lenders rather than the form, and they can move a closing if nobody is watching them.
The contract sets the default deadlines, but the closing date is whatever the parties write in. Mo doesn’t have a dated, sourced average for this market, so he won’t quote one. Your timeline is the set of dates in your contract, and the job is to keep every party ahead of them. Closing can be done by mail, courier, or electronically under Standard I, which matters for sellers who live out of state.
COMMON QUESTIONS
The contract decides. The Florida Realtors/Florida Bar AS IS form has no default closing date; the parties write one in. Its defaults give 15 days for inspections and 30 days for loan approval, and title evidence is due 15 days before closing, or 5 days before in a cash sale.
Yes. The AS IS contract counts calendar days. If a deadline ends on a Saturday, Sunday, or national legal public holiday, it extends to the next day that is not one.
On the Effective Date, which is when the last of the buyer and seller has signed or initialed and delivered the offer or final counteroffer. Florida Realtors’ legal staff says a later amendment does not change it unless the amendment specifically says the parties agree to change the Effective Date.
Before the loan approval period ends, the buyer gives written notice that the loan is approved, that the buyer is satisfied and will proceed, or that the buyer is canceling. If the buyer gives no notice, the contract proceeds as if it were a cash sale, and the seller may cancel within 3 days after the period ends.
Usually, yes. Standard I of the AS IS contract says closing may be conducted by mail, overnight courier, or electronic means. The seller still signs the deed and closing documents with the witnessing and notarization the closing agent requires, in person or through remote online notarization. Confirm the arrangements with your title agent or a Florida real estate attorney.
Mo will lay out every deadline in your contract, who owns it, and what has to be ready, so the closing date you sign is one you can hit.
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Mo Mufti, REALTOR® · LPT Realty, LLC · 352-298-8602
Checked October 10, 2026. Contract terms are from the 2026 Florida Realtors/Florida Bar AS IS form; statutes are the 2026 Florida Statutes. Your signed contract controls.
Important: General real estate information only—not legal, tax, insurance, title, or financial advice. Mo Mufti is a Florida REALTOR® (license SL3600299) with LPT Realty, LLC, not an attorney, insurance agent, surveyor, or inspector. Use a Florida real estate attorney for legal disclosure and contract questions about your property.
More Florida costs & rules: Seller disclosure requirements · HOA estoppel certificates · Flood zones near The Villages · Flood disclosure · Who pays closing costs · Transfer tax calculator · Seller net sheet · Selling as-is