Real Estate Contract Deadline Calculator — Inspection, Appraisal, Loan & Closing Dates

What each contingency actually is

A contingency is a window in which the buyer can walk away for a defined reason without losing the deposit. The inspection contingency covers the condition of the property: the buyer inspects, and within the period either accepts the condition, negotiates, or cancels. The appraisal contingency covers value — if the lender's appraisal comes in below the agreed price, the buyer has a way out or a basis to renegotiate. The loan or financing contingency covers the money: it protects a buyer who cannot obtain the financing described in the contract. The closing date is not a contingency at all; it is the date performance is due, and in contracts that say time is of the essence, missing it is a default rather than an inconvenience.

The earnest money deposit sits apart from all of them. It is usually due within a few days of acceptance, and it is the one deadline that arrives before anyone has had time to settle into the transaction. In California, the C.A.R. agreement's investigation and appraisal contingencies run 17 days and the loan contingency 21 days unless the parties write something else (C.A.R. quick guide). In Florida, blanks left empty on the Realtors/Bar “AS IS” contract fall back to 3 days for the initial deposit, 15 days for the inspection period, and 30 days for loan approval (Florida Realtors/Florida Bar form). Most other states leave the numbers blank for the parties to negotiate, which is why this tool asks you to confirm every one.

Why deadlines slip

Almost none of it is drama. The inspector cannot come until Thursday, so the report arrives the day before the period ends. The appraiser is booked out two weeks in a busy market. The lender asks for one more document, and the buyer is travelling. A repair addendum resets expectations but not the written dates. Each of these is survivable on its own; what makes them dangerous is that nobody was watching the date until it was two days away.

The other common cause is arithmetic. Counting from the wrong start date, treating calendar days as business days, or forgetting that the contract counts from the day after acceptance can move a deadline by several days in either direction. Write the dates down the day the contract is accepted, before anything else happens, and check them against the contract rather than against memory.

When a deadline lands on a weekend or holiday

Most standard residential contracts anticipate this and extend performance to the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday — the Florida Realtors/Florida Bar form states the rule plainly. But not every contract does, and some count business days from the start, which produces a different date entirely. The toggle above lets you model both, and the result tells you which rule produced the date, so you can check it against the paragraph rather than assume.

• Read the contract's own definition of "days" before counting anything
• Check whether the contract says time is of the essence
• Confirm whether the count starts on the acceptance date or the day after
• Remember that state holidays are not always federal holidays
• Get any extension in writing — a verbal agreement does not move a written date

Tracking several deals at once

One transaction is easy to hold in your head. Four are not, particularly when their inspection periods overlap and each has a different set of day counts. The practical habit is to calendar every deadline the day the contract is accepted, with a reminder a day or two ahead rather than on the day itself, and to keep all of them in one place instead of one calendar per deal. The .ics download above does that in one step: every deadline becomes an all-day entry with a reminder the day before.

Also useful: the open house sign-in and showing log template and the mileage reimbursement calculator.

This page explains how standard contract timing works and is not legal advice. Your signed contract governs. Last reviewed: September 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Do contract deadlines count weekends and holidays?

It depends on the wording of your contract. Most standard residential purchase agreements count calendar days, including weekends and holidays, and then extend any deadline that lands on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal holiday to the next business day — the Florida Realtors/Florida Bar “AS IS” contract works this way. Other agreements count business days instead. This calculator lets you set calendar or business days for each deadline and shows the roll rule it applied.

Does day one start on the acceptance date or the day after?

Most purchase agreements count from the day after the effective date, so a 10-day inspection period on a contract accepted Monday the 1st ends on the 11th. This calculator counts that way. If your contract counts the acceptance date itself as day one, subtract a day from the results and confirm the wording with your broker or an attorney.

Are the day counts in this tool my contract's deadlines?

No. Only California and Florida are seeded from day counts their widely used standard form actually prints, and even those can be changed by the parties. Every other state starts from a neutral placeholder set that is not a state rule. Always replace the numbers with the days written on the signed contract.