A common financed Utah purchase runs about 30 to 45 days from the accepted offer to recording at the county. This Utah buyer closing timeline is a planning aid for St. George and Washington County, not a legal deadline. The dates in your REPC still control the earnest money.
Week 1 is spoken for. Earnest money, inspections, and the title commitment belong there. The appraisal and underwriting follow, and the contract can compress or stretch every step after that.
Week 1: earnest money, inspections, and the title commitment
The first week is the busy one. You deliver earnest money the way the contract requires, you book inspections, and the title company opens the file. The commitment is the company’s offer to insure, with exceptions, and it is not the policy itself.
Earnest money is not the down payment. It is a deposit that shows you intend to close, and the contract says when you can still get it back. Those rules are spelled out in this guide to Utah REPC due diligence deadlines and earnest money.
Match the inspections to the house. A standard home inspection does not replace a soils report where expansive clay or collapsible desert soils are a real question, which is why expansive soil in southern Utah deserves its own look during this same week.
Read the title commitment before the due diligence window closes. Buyers who want the owner’s policy explained in plain language can use this guide to Utah title insurance for buyers. Schedule B is the page that lists what the policy will not cover.
After week 1: the appraisal, then underwriting
The appraisal and underwriting follow week 1. They do not replace it. Do not hold your inspection objections until the appraiser is done, because the due diligence deadline can arrive first.
If the appraised value lands under the contract price, you have an appraisal gap. The lender typically bases the loan on the lower figure. Who covers that difference, and when you can still renegotiate, is covered in this note on appraisal gaps on a St. George offer.
Underwriting is the lender checking the file against the loan program. Pay stubs, tax returns, bank statements, the appraisal, the title work, and the insurance binder all have to agree. Answer questions the same day, because a new deposit or a new debt can reset the review.
This is also when the deed of trust is prepared. That document is the lender’s lien. It is recorded when the loan funds, not on the day you first applied.
A planning sketch through recording
Use the table as a sketch for a financed file that records about 30 to 45 days after acceptance. It is not a calendar the county enforces. If your settlement date is sooner, follow the contract.
| Planning window | What usually happens | What it is not |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Earnest money, inspections, and the title commitment | A promise that every REPC deadline falls on day 7 |
| After week 1 | Appraisal, then underwriting | A legal appraisal deadline |
| About day 30 to 45 | Signing, funding, and recording at the county | Permission to ignore your settlement date |
Clear to close means underwriting is satisfied, sometimes with a last condition still open. You then walk the home, review the closing disclosure, sign, and wait for funding and recording. You do not get the keys because you signed.
Possession transfers when the contract says it does, often at recording and later if you agreed to a seller rent-back. Get that date in writing with the rest of the dates. Signing day and key day are not always the same day.
What this timeline will not do for you
A cash purchase can move faster than 30 days, and a financed file can run past 45 days if the appraisal is late, the commitment has exceptions to clear, or the lender asks for more paper. Those are reasons to extend settlement in writing. They are not reasons to ignore a deadline that already passed.
If you are using seller funds for closing costs or a temporary rate buydown, the lender has to approve that credit before clear to close. The concession cap depends on the loan program and the loan-to-value. Confirm it with the lender, and see how a seller concession is structured before you assume a number.
- The signed REPC and every addendum, including any extension.
- The earnest money receipt and the inspection reports.
- The title commitment and the appraisal.
- The loan estimate and the closing disclosure.
Seller-side charges are a separate list from your loan timeline. They are itemized in this guide to what sellers pay at closing. Keep that page next to your own closing disclosure so the two columns do not get mixed.
Whetzel Homes Collective builds this calendar around your actual REPC dates, not around a generic 45-day guess. Call (435) 334-1544 or email hello@whetzelhomes.com, Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Mountain Time. You can also write through the contact page.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a financed Utah purchase take from offer to recording?
A common financed Utah purchase runs about 30 to 45 days from the accepted offer to recording at the county. That span is a planning range. The settlement date in your REPC is the date that binds you.
What happens in week 1 of a St. George closing?
Week 1 is when you deliver earnest money, order inspections, and receive the title commitment. Those three items are the start of the file. Later steps do not erase a deadline that falls inside that first week.
Is the 30 to 45 day span a legal deadline?
No. It is a planning timeline, not a legal deadline, and your Utah REPC dates control earnest money and the settlement day. If the contract says something shorter, the contract wins.
When do I get the keys on a Washington County purchase?
You get possession when the contract says you do, which is often at recording and sometimes later if a seller rent-back was negotiated. Signing the papers is not the same moment as getting the keys.
What can push recording past 45 days?
A late appraisal, title exceptions that still have to be cleared, or underwriting questions can all slow a financed file. Any new settlement date should be written into the contract. Do not treat this outline as an extension.
