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A seller says “yes” and you start celebrating, but how real is that win if you’re buying in New York? Angela and Chris get brutally practical about what actually qualifies as an accepted offer, why verbal acceptance can vanish, and how buyers lose great homes simply by moving too slowly between the handshake moment and signed contracts. If you’re competing in a hot spring and summer market with bidding wars, timelines matter just as much as price.

We walk through the exact pressure points: scheduling a home inspection fast, getting the inspection report back quickly, and telling your attorney you’re ready so contracts can be prepared and signed. We also explain why sellers often continue showings even after they “accept” an offer, and how that backup plan protects them if the inspection uncovers issues or the buyer asks for big credits. Along the way, we compare New York’s attorney-driven process with what we’ve heard about Connecticut, including the idea of being “in contract” sooner and the debate over whether agents should draft contracts.

Then we hit the contingencies buyers should think twice before waiving. We unpack appraisal contingency with a painful story of a buyer stuck paying a huge gap in cash, explain how an appraisal gap clause can limit risk, and touch on mortgage contingency as a basic safeguard for your escrow deposit. To close, we shift to a real-life lifestyle question: would you ever buy a home with a shared driveway, and what should you ask neighbors before you commit?

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