Buying a home in California follows a set order: you line up financing and sign a buyer representation agreement, make a written offer (usually on the California Association of REALTORS® Residential Purchase Agreement), investigate the property during contingency periods while escrow is open, and close when the loan funds and the deed records. Most deadlines run from the day your offer is accepted, so knowing the sequence before you start keeps you from missing one.
This hub walks through that sequence and links each Diamond Real Estate Group buying guide at the step where you will need it. It is written for purchases in Sonoma, Napa, Marin and San Francisco, the rest of the Bay Area, and Lake, Placer, El Dorado, Yolo, Santa Cruz, Sacramento and Monterey counties, where wildfire, flood and earthquake hazards shape insurance, disclosures and inspections.
Step 1: Prepare before you tour
Get a preapproval based on documents the lender has actually reviewed, and ask which property types the loan will not cover. Condominiums, rural homes on wells or septic systems, and homes with ADUs can each raise lender questions. Our home financing guide compares loan types and this year’s county loan limits.
Expect to sign a written agreement with your buyer’s agent early. It sets out the services, the term and how the agent is paid, and every one of those points is negotiable.
Guide for this step
- Buyer-broker agreements in California: AB 2992’s three-month limit, signing before touring, who pays your agent and what to ask before you sign.
Step 2: Check hazards and insurability early
In much of the North Bay, whether a home can be insured at a workable cost decides whether the purchase makes sense. Ask for insurance quotes as soon as you are serious about a property, and read the natural hazard disclosure before your investigation period ends. Hillside lots may also call for a geotechnical report.
Guides for this step
- Natural hazard disclosure reports: how to read the report that shows whether a home sits in state-mapped flood, fire, seismic and other hazard zones.
- Fire hazard severity zones in Sonoma, Napa and Marin: how to read the state maps, the difference between SRA and LRA areas, and what each zone means for a sale.
- Flood zones in the North Bay: flood maps and flood insurance along the Russian River, the Napa River and in Petaluma.
- Earthquake fault zones: what fault zone and seismic hazard designations mean for a purchase and what to inspect.
- Homeowners insurance during escrow: when to get quotes in wildfire country, what carriers ask about, and where state reforms stand.
- Buying a home that needs the FAIR Plan: how FAIR Plan coverage works, pairing it with a difference-in-conditions policy, and escrow timing.
Step 3: Write the offer
Price is one term among many. The deposit, the contingencies and their lengths, the closing date, any seller credit and the items included all change how attractive and how risky an offer is. Shortening or removing contingencies can win a competitive situation, but it also moves risk onto you, so decide what you need to learn before you give up the right to cancel.
Guides for this step
- The California Residential Purchase Agreement: what the RPA says about the deposit, contingencies, disclosures, closing costs, possession and disputes.
- Earnest money deposits: how much buyers typically put down, where the money is held, and when it is at risk.
- Escalation clauses: how an escalation clause works in a California offer and when it helps or hurts.
- Home sale contingencies: making an offer that depends on selling your current home, including kick-out notices and alternatives.
- Seller concessions and credits: what credits can pay for, the limits lenders set, and how to negotiate them.
- Buying a home with an ADU: checking permits, how appraisers treat the unit, rental income and property tax.
- Buying a tenant-occupied home: existing leases, estoppels and the rules on moving into a home that has tenants.
Step 4: Escrow, inspections and contingencies
Once your offer is accepted, escrow opens and your deposit is delivered. The seller then delivers the required disclosures. Under Civil Code section 1102.3, if a required disclosure arrives after you have made your offer, you can terminate within three days after delivery in person, or five days after delivery by mail or by electronic delivery the parties agreed to.
Use the contingency periods for inspections, the appraisal, loan approval and your review of the title report and disclosures. Removing a contingency is done in writing; once removed, it generally cannot be used to cancel, so track each date rather than relying on a typical timeline.
Guides for this step
- California escrow timeline: what happens on each day of a typical 30-day escrow.
- Contract deadline calculator: turns your acceptance date into the deadlines in your purchase contract.
- Loan contingencies: how long they run, what lender approval means and what removing the contingency commits you to.
- Appraisal contingencies: the cash math of an appraisal gap, how gap coverage is written and how to request a reconsideration of value.
- Termite reports: the difference between Section 1 and Section 2 findings and who usually pays for each.
- Requests for repair: choosing between repairs, credits and price reductions after inspections.
- AB 38 defensible space inspections: who inspects in each part of Sonoma, Napa and Marin, fees, timing and failed inspections.
- Notice to perform: how a buyer or seller pushes the other side to act on a missed deadline.
- Cancelling a home purchase: when you can cancel, how deposits are released and what Civil Code 1057.3 says about withheld releases.
Step 5: Close and take possession
Your lender must give you the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before you close, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Compare it line by line with your Loan Estimate and ask about any change. Title insurance, escrow fees and transfer tax are divided by the contract; in Diamond’s North Bay markets the seller customarily pays the county transfer tax, but the split is negotiable and custom varies by city and county.
A Preliminary Change of Ownership Report normally goes to the county recorder with the deed, and escrow usually prepares it with you. Do your final walk-through shortly before closing so you can confirm agreed repairs and the home’s condition.
Guides for this step
- Title insurance: owner’s and lender’s policies, the preliminary report and what title coverage costs.
- Who pays closing costs: county customs for escrow, title and transfer tax across the Bay Area and North Bay, with worked examples.
- Final walk-through checklist: what to test and confirm in the home before you sign off on closing.
Step 6: After you move in
Your purchase is a change in ownership, so the assessor reassesses the home to its market value as of the date you took title. The Board of Equalization explains that the county then mails one or two supplemental bills for the difference between the new value and the prior assessed value, prorated over the rest of the fiscal year. These bills are separate from the annual bill and go to you, not your lender, so pay them or coordinate with the lender even if your loan has an impound account.
Guide for this step
- Supplemental property tax bills: why you receive a bill after buying, how it is calculated and when it is due.
How Diamond helps buyers
Diamond represents buyers of houses, condominiums, land, luxury homes, vineyards and income property, and buyers of bank-owned homes and short sales and of probate properties sold with court confirmation. Beyond MLS searches, Diamond uses its own client database and targeted campaigns to reach owners who may sell without listing; it cannot promise access to other brokerages’ office-exclusive listings.
During escrow we track your deadlines, coordinate inspections and help you read reports and disclosures. Diamond may refer you to partners we work with; you’re free to choose any provider. If a term or document is unfamiliar, the real estate glossary defines it, and sellers can follow the parallel home-selling process.
This is general information, not legal advice; talk to a California real estate attorney about your contract and rights.
Questions people ask
How long does it take to buy a house in California?
The closing date is whatever your purchase agreement says. Lender approval, the appraisal and insurance usually set the practical minimum, and our escrow timeline guide walks through a typical 30-day schedule.
Can I back out after my offer is accepted?
While a contingency is still in place, the contract lets you cancel on the terms it sets out. Once you remove contingencies in writing, cancelling can put your deposit at risk. A disclosure delivered after your offer also gives you a short window to terminate under Civil Code 1102.3.
Do I have to sign an agreement with a buyer’s agent?
Yes, if an agent represents you. California law (AB 2992) requires a written buyer representation agreement no later than when you sign an offer and generally limits its term to three months, and under NAR settlement practice changes, REALTORS® ask for one before touring a home with you.
When will I see my final loan costs?
The lender must give you the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing. Compare it with your Loan Estimate and ask the lender to explain any differences.
Why did I get another property tax bill after closing?
Buying a home is a change in ownership, so the assessor reassesses it to market value as of your purchase date. The difference from the old assessed value is billed through supplemental tax bills.
Should I get insurance quotes before removing contingencies?
Yes. In wildfire-prone parts of the North Bay, availability and price vary widely by property, and you want to know what coverage costs while you can still cancel.
When you are ready to look at homes or want help planning an offer, start your Northern California home search with Diamond.
Sources & notes
- California Public Law: Civil Code section 1102.3 (disclosure delivery and termination rights)
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: What is a Closing Disclosure?
- California State Board of Equalization: Change in ownership FAQs
- California State Board of Equalization: Supplemental assessments
- California Department of Real Estate: Consumer alert, changes to real estate representation
Last reviewed October 2026 by Matthew Martinez.
