Under Contract in Las Vegas? Here’s What Actually Happens Next
📍Homebuyers in Nevada- Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, the Greater Las Vegas, NV area, and Southern Nevada
What happens after a buyer’s offer is accepted in Las Vegas? The buyer becomes bound by a Residential Purchase Agreement and enters a Due Diligence period, often 7 to 12 days, where inspections, financing, and appraisal contingencies determine whether earnest money stays protected.
You found the house.
You made the offer.
Your agent called and said the words you’ve been waiting for: we’re under contract.
For about forty-five minutes, everything felt great.
Then the questions started, because somewhere in the back of your mind, you know this isn’t finished.
You’re right. It isn’t.
What happens between an accepted offer and closing day in Las Vegas is the part of the process most buyers know the least about, and it’s where deals fall apart, money gets lost, and buyers get blindsided by details nobody explained up front.
This isn’t because anyone is trying to take advantage of you.
It’s because the Nevada RPA moves fast, the deadlines are real, and your protections are only as good as your ability to use them correctly and on time.
Being Under Contract in Nevada
Once both parties sign, you have a legally binding purchase agreement, whether it’s written on an LVR (Las Vegas REALTORS®) form or a Nevada REALTORS® form.
The seller can’t accept a better offer that comes in tomorrow.
You can’t walk away penalty-free unless an active contingency protects you.
Being under contract means your options are now defined by the agreement you signed, and every one of those options has an expiration date.
Earnest Money: Your Skin in the Game
Your earnest money deposit, or EMD, is typically 1% to 3% of the purchase price and is wired into escrow, often within one business day of acceptance.
On a $400,000 home, that’s roughly $4,000 to $12,000 moving into a neutral account almost immediately, never directly to the seller.
That money is yours to recover as long as you cancel correctly, in writing, within an active contingency period.
Once Due Diligence ends without a documented issue, the deposit generally becomes non-refundable except in narrow circumstances, such as the seller being unable to deliver clear title or the property suffering material damage before closing.
The Due Diligence Period, and Nevada’s Inspector Requirement
Nevada’s Due Diligence period is typically 7 to 12 days from acceptance, though it can run longer depending on negotiation.
This is your window to inspect the roof, foundation, HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems, check estimated utility costs, confirm insurability, and drive by the property at different times of day.
Here’s a detail specific to Nevada: for an inspection report to support your right to cancel, the inspection generally must be performed by a Nevada-licensed or certified professional.
That requirement is written directly into the RPA.
If a general contractor without Nevada certification does your inspection, you may not be able to use that report to exercise your Due Diligence rights.
A quick red flag to watch for: a thorough inspection on a typical home takes two to three hours.
If someone is in and out in 45 minutes, that’s not a thorough inspection, regardless of how well-priced it was.
Once you have your report, you deliver written repair requests to the seller.
The seller can agree to fix items, offer a credit, or decline.
If you can’t reach agreement before the Due Diligence deadline, you need a written decision on file before the clock runs out: cancel, or proceed as-is.
Financing Contingency
Your financing contingency is typically active for 20 to 25 days and protects you if your loan falls through after you’re under contract.
Pre-approval is not a guarantee of funding; your lender still verifies income, employment, assets, and debt, and orders an appraisal.
Something as small as a large credit card purchase between pre-approval and closing can shift your debt-to-income ratio enough to create a problem.
If anyone pressures you to waive this contingency before your loan is fully approved, that’s a real risk, and your agent should be pushing back on it.
Appraisal Contingency
Nevada’s appraisal contingency typically runs 14 to 21 days and is separate from your financing contingency.
After you’re under contract, your lender orders an independent appraisal to confirm the home is worth what you agreed to pay.
In a market where prices move quickly, a low appraisal is a realistic scenario.
Say you agreed to pay $450,000 and the home appraises at $440,000, a $10,000 gap.
With an active appraisal contingency, you generally have three options: bring the extra $10,000 in cash and move forward, cancel and recover your earnest money, or renegotiate with the seller toward a new price.
Without an active contingency, you’re on the hook for the gap, or you risk your deposit.
Before you write an offer in a competitive Las Vegas listing, ask your agent what the realistic appraisal risk looks like for that specific home.
Title and Seller Disclosures
While your loan moves through underwriting, the title company runs a search on the property’s ownership history, checking for liens, boundary disputes, or unpaid contractor claims.
Your lender requires a lender’s title policy, which protects the bank, not you.
An owner’s title policy is optional but is the only protection you have if a title issue surfaces after you close.
Nevada law also requires sellers to complete a Seller’s Real Property Disclosure form.
Read it carefully during Due Diligence.
If something doesn’t match what you saw during your showing, or the seller checked “unknown” on several items for a home they’ve lived in for years, that’s worth raising with your agent right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
> How long is the Due Diligence period on a Nevada purchase? It’s commonly 7 to 12 days from acceptance, though buyers and sellers can negotiate a longer window, especially if utilities need to be turned on for inspections.
> Does my Nevada home inspector need to be licensed? Generally, yes. For an inspection to support a Due Diligence cancellation, it should be performed by a Nevada-licensed or certified inspector.
> What happens if the appraisal comes in low in Las Vegas? With an active appraisal contingency, you can bring additional cash to closing, renegotiate the price with the seller, or cancel the contract and recover your earnest money.
What This Means for You
If you’re navigating a purchase in Las Vegas, Henderson, or anywhere in Southern Nevada and want someone in your corner tracking every RPA deadline, Good House Good Home is here to help.
Because what you don’t know, CAN hurt you. And we’re not okay with that.
Call us at 702-785-4255 or email: shauna@goodhousegoodhome.com
Shauna R Gut
(702) 785-4255
Real Broker, LLC
NV BS.1002262 | UT 14200826