Can You Still Show Your House After Accepting an Offer? What Happens Next (2026)

Updated November 2026. For sellers who just accepted an offer, with extra detail for North Carolina (Greensboro, Charlotte, Raleigh) and Florida. Rules are from the NC Real Estate Commission, NC and Florida statutes and the CFPB.

Yes, you can still show your house after accepting an offer, if your contract and MLS status allow it, usually to line up backup offers. Meanwhile the buyer’s checks run: inspection, appraisal, loan approval, title work, and a Closing Disclosure at least 3 business days before closing. In North Carolina, as of November 2026, the buyer can still walk away until due diligence ends.

Not listed yet? A flat fee MLS listing lets you switch your own MLS status and keep showings going, with Basic from $99 in most states (see your state page).

Jump to: ⏱️ Timeline · 🏠 Showings · 📍 North Carolina · 🤝 Closing day · ❓ FAQ

Accepting an offer feels like the finish line. It’s really the start of a short project with deadlines on both sides. Here’s what happens, week by week, and what you should do at each step.

What happens after you accept an offer on your home?

The order is about the same in every state. Dates come from your purchase and sale agreement, so put each one in a calendar the day you sign.

1. Contract signed. Send the fully signed copy to the buyer, the closing attorney or title company, and the buyer’s lender.
2. Deposits. The buyer pays earnest money to escrow, and in North Carolina usually a due diligence fee straight to you.
3. Inspections. The buyer’s inspector checks the roof, systems and structure. Expect a repair request after.
4. Appraisal. The lender orders it to confirm the price supports the loan.
5. Title search and payoff. The closing office orders your mortgage payoff and checks for liens.
6. Loan approval and the Closing Disclosure, three business days before closing.
7. Final walk-through, signing and keys.

Still weighing more than one offer? Our guide on how to review an offer and what comes next covers price, terms and counteroffers. This page starts once you’ve said yes.

Can you still show your house after accepting an offer?

Yes, if your contract and your MLS status allow it. Many sellers keep showing the home to collect backup offers in case the first buyer’s loan or inspection falls through. Your MLS status should say the home is under contract. Many MLSs have a status such as “active under contract” that tells agents showings are still welcome, while “pending” usually signals they’re not.

A backup offer must be clearly second in line. Put in writing that it only becomes active if the first contract ends. Tell your buyer if you plan to keep showing; it avoids surprises at the inspection.

With a Beycome listing, you change the status yourself from your dashboard, and ShowingTime keeps booking requests where your MLS offers it. Keep the house in show shape until closing anyway. The inspector, the appraiser and the buyer’s final walk-through all need access, so leave the lockbox and keys where they are.

What happens after you accept an offer in North Carolina?

Most North Carolina sales use the Offer to Purchase and Contract, Form 2-T; our NC for sale by owner contract guide walks through its terms. Its key feature is the due diligence period. The NC Real Estate Commission explains that the length is negotiable and starts on the contract’s effective date.

During that window, the buyer can end the contract in writing for any reason or no reason, and you don’t have to agree. The Commission says the buyer typically gets the earnest money back but not the due diligence fee, unless the contract says otherwise. That fee is paid to you and, under Form 2-T, is nonrefundable unless you materially breach the contract or a few listed cases apply.

So in Greensboro, Charlotte or Raleigh, the real “point of no return” is the end of due diligence, not the day you sign. Treat repair requests in that window seriously; the buyer still holds the exit.

Disclosures and taxes for North Carolina sellers

North Carolina sellers must give the Residential Property and Owners’ Association Disclosure Statement no later than when the buyer makes an offer, under G.S. 47E-5. If you didn’t, the buyer may cancel within three calendar days of getting it or of the contract, whichever comes first, and get the deposit back.

The deed excise tax is $1 for each $500 of price, or part of $500, under G.S. 105-228.30, and the law puts it on the seller. Zillow’s typical values for September 2026 give these figures:

Closings here usually run through a real estate attorney. The North Carolina State Bar treats title opinions and abstracting title as the practice of law, so line up a closing attorney early.

What changes if you’re selling in Florida?

Florida contracts usually give the buyer an inspection period instead of a due diligence fee. Read yours for the exact number of days. Florida also requires a flood disclosure from the seller at or before the time the contract is signed, under section 689.302.

The state’s documentary stamp tax on the deed is 70 cents per $100 of price in every county except Miami-Dade, per the Florida Department of Revenue. On Zillow’s typical Florida value of $375,400, that’s $2,627.80. Our Florida FSBO contract guide shows where each of these lands in the contract.

In Florida and Texas, Beycome Title can handle the closing for a $99 settlement fee in Florida and $299 in Texas. Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana follow. For how the title side works, see who picks the title company.

How should you handle the inspection and appraisal?

Fix known problems before the inspector arrives if you can. A broken AC or an active leak is cheaper to repair now than to argue about later. Then wait for the buyer’s written request. You can repair, offer a credit, lower the price or say no.

The lender’s appraisal checks the price. If it comes in low, you can renegotiate, the buyer can cover the gap in cash, or the deal may end under the financing terms. Pricing close to recent sales from the start makes a low appraisal less likely; our appraisal guide explains how appraisers work.

What should you do while you wait to close?

Start packing early. Label anything the contract says stays, such as the fridge or washer, so it doesn’t end up on the truck.

Schedule utility transfers for closing day: power, water, gas, internet and the alarm company. Keep paying your mortgage and insurance until the sale funds. And don’t take on new debt or liens that could slow the title search.

Buying your next home? The Beycome buyer program has no upfront fee. It’s open to every buyer on homes listed by other agents: Beycome keeps 1% of the price (minimum $1,499) and credits the rest of the buyer-agent commission at closing, with lender approval. The credit can’t apply where no buyer-agent commission is offered, like most FSBO homes, or on homes listed by Beycome sellers.

What happens on closing day?

“Clear to close” means the lender has approved the loan. It often comes just a day or two before closing, so a late signal isn’t a bad sign. The buyer gets the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing, per the CFPB.

Bring a government-issued photo ID, every key and garage opener, and alarm codes. You’ll sign the deed and the settlement statement, and the closing office pays off your loan and sends you the rest. For who pays which line, read who pays closing costs when selling.

Selling with Beycome? Every plan includes e-signature, unlimited listing updates and the Artur AI assistant for offer questions. Concierge (see current price) adds a dedicated expert who works with you on paperwork and negotiates with you, always on your side, while you keep the final say. Basic starts from $99 in most states on the flat fee MLS page. Beycome has helped 22,000+ save over $225 million (Beycome internal data, October 2026).

Questions after accepting an offer