A Complete Contract-to-Close Timeline for First-Time Agents

You just got the text every new agent dreams about: "Offer accepted." Then the second text from your broker: "Great — make sure EMD is in by Thursday, inspection is scheduled within the contingency window, and the mortgage commitment date is locked down. Oh, and don't forget the municipal certs." Wait. What? If you're a first-time agent staring down your first contract-to-close, the gap between offer accepted and keys in hand can feel like one giant blur of deadlines you didn't know existed. The good news: the transaction has a shape. Here's the complete timeline — what happens when, why each step matters, and where new agents most commonly lose time and commission.