TL;DR

This 21-day plan keeps underwriting, legal, and funding tasks synchronized so your closing date remains realistic.

Why this matters now

Pre-approval helps you compete, but it does not remove final underwriting and funding checks. A disciplined closing timeline is the difference between a calm key handoff and an expensive scramble.

Accepted offer is the midpoint. Operational execution still decides the outcome.

Your 21-day offer-to-keys timeline

  1. Day 21 to 15: confirm lender condition list, appraisal schedule, and document refresh requirements.
  2. Day 14 to 10: finalize insurance binder, legal intake, and verified cash-to-close estimate.
  3. Day 9 to 5: clear remaining underwriting conditions and validate wire or bank draft mechanics.
  4. Day 4 to 2: review statement of adjustments and final legal numbers.
  5. Day 1: verify fund release windows and key handoff protocol.
Twenty one day Canadian home offer readiness timeline from underwriting to closing at sunset
Clarity on deadlines reduces last-minute calls, rework, and failed assumptions.

High-cost mistakes this checklist prevents

  • Underestimating final cash-to-close requirements.
  • Assuming pre-approval automatically satisfies final underwriting.
  • Submitting incomplete source-of-funds documents late in the process.
  • Missing legal funding cutoffs due to transfer timing errors.

Behavioral risk to watch

Goal-gradient effect

as closing day gets closer, people rush and skip controls. Keep one final checklist owner and close each requirement explicitly.

Best next step

Sources