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The Hawaii contract-to-close checklist
Every task from acceptance to recording — 46 of them, in order, each with the deadline rule it runs on. Built for the Hawaii Association of REALTORS® Purchase Contract (RR201). Free, no email required.
State
Hawaii
33 states live — each one built on that state's own contract and deadline rules, not a renamed copy of this one.
Put your closing date in and get the real dates
Most checklists tell you "3 days before closing" and leave you to count. This one counts — business days, federal holidays, and the observed weekday when a holiday lands on a weekend.
Contract date
Closing date
46 tasks across 6 phases
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Send accepted Purchase Contract to Escrow + lender
F-4: the parties provide Escrow with fully executed copies of the Purchase Contract and every addendum. All the dates below run from the Acceptance Date defined in S-1 — the date the contract became binding, which is not necessarily the date anyone signed.
Buyer's agent
1 day after the contract date
Open escrow
F-4 names the escrow company on the face of the contract. Hawaii closes through escrow, and G-1 instructs Escrow to promptly order the Preliminary Title Report as soon as the file is open.
Title / escrow
1 business day after the contract date
Deliver initial earnest money to Escrow
B-1: "The initial earnest money deposit shall be deposited with Escrow by the next business day after the Acceptance Date or as otherwise agreed in writing by the parties." Note the switch — the rest of the contract counts calendar days, but this one is a BUSINESS day, so a Friday acceptance means Monday.
Buyer
On the earnest money due date
Confirm fee simple or leasehold — and pull the lease if leasehold
D: the property is conveyed as either [ ] fee simple or [ ] leasehold, a checkbox that changes the whole file. A leasehold deal brings lease rent, a lease expiration date, renegotiation terms and the Residential Leasehold Property addendum. Leasehold is far more common in Hawaii than anywhere else we support — read the box before assuming fee simple.
Buyer's agent
3 days after the contract date
Confirm earnest money received by Escrow
B-2: on opening of escrow, any interest on the deposit accrues to Escrow unless Buyer instructs otherwise.
Buyer's agent
1 business day after the earnest money due date
Acknowledge receipt of the Seller's Disclosure Statement
I-4(a): on receipt, Buyer gives Seller written acknowledgment within the stated days. Chapter 508D governs the disclosure itself.
Buyer's agent
5 days after the contract date
Submit the mortgage loan application
H-4(a): Buyer submits a completed, signed application with the required fees by the date written into the blank, and delivers a Pre-Qualification Letter by the date in H-4(b). A Pre-Approval Letter based on automated underwriting may be substituted.
Buyer
7 days after the contract date
Provide evidence of cash funds
H-1(a) / H-2(a): Buyer provides evidence satisfactory to Seller of the availability of cash funds within the stated days after the Acceptance Date. Fail it and Seller may terminate under O-3.
Buyer
7 days after the contract date
Disclosure Statement rescission deadline
I-4(b): Buyer has the stated days "[or fifteen (15) days if left blank] to examine the Disclosure Statement or Amended Disclosure Statement and to rescind this Purchase Contract." Rescission needs WRITTEN notice inside the window. Fifteen days is the printed default, and the clock restarts from receipt of any amendment — so a late amendment can hand the buyer a fresh exit close to closing.
Buyer
15 days after the contract date
Select the termite inspection operator
L-2: the party whose box is ticked selects a licensed pest control operator within the stated days of the Acceptance Date and notifies the other in writing. Miss it and the other party gets to choose — "the other party shall select an Operator within five (5) days thereafter."
Buyer's agent
5 days after the contract date
Schedule inspections
J-1 covers the property, all major appliances and fixtures, all public records relating to the property and its use, and the I-8 matters. Seller must turn the utilities on, including propane, at Seller's expense.
Buyer's agent
4 days before the inspection deadline
Complete inspections + review reports
J-1: "All inspections and reviews must be completed within this time period." J-2 separately recommends specialist inspections beyond a standard home inspection.
Inspector
2 days before the inspection deadline
Inspection contingency deadline — approve or terminate IN WRITING
J-1: the purchase is contingent on Buyer's approval within the stated days after the Acceptance Date, and disapproval terminates under O-2. The trap is the last line: "If Buyer fails to make an election in writing to terminate this Purchase Contract within the specified time period, then Buyer will have waived this contingency." Silence is approval. Deadlines expire at 11:59 PM Hawaii time (S-2).
Buyer
On the inspection deadline
Receive the termite inspection report
L-2: Seller promptly orders the inspection and report from the selected Operator, and the report is delivered to Buyer by the date written on the form. L-1 warns it only covers visible evidence of active infestation and visible damage in accessible areas.
Inspector
On the inspection deadline
Confirm any termite treatment is complete
L-2: where the report shows visible evidence of active ("live") infestation, Seller orders and pays for the recommended treatment, and the contingency requires treatment "no later than five (5) days prior to the Scheduled Closing Date." Preventive maintenance is excluded, and if the lender wants an updated report before funding, Buyer pays for that one.
Seller
5 days before closing
Lender orders appraisal
Lender
10 days after the contract date
Appraisal received + reviewed
H-4(c): the Conditional Loan Commitment Letter is based on underwriter approval AND review of the property appraisal, so a late appraisal delays the commitment letter deadline behind it.
Appraiser
On the appraisal deadline
Deliver the Conditional Loan Commitment Letter to Seller
H-4(c): due by the date written into the blank, stating the loan is approved and the lender will make it under specified conditions. H-3(a): if Buyer does not obtain it, or cannot satisfy its conditions, within the H-4 time periods, Buyer may terminate under O-2 — and under H-5 Seller may terminate under O-3.
Lender
On the loan contingency deadline
Deliver written evidence that loan conditions are satisfied
H-4(d): no later than the stated days after the commitment letter is issued, Buyer delivers written evidence that every lender condition is met — except conditions that cannot be satisfied until closing, such as paying off debt or receiving proceeds from the sale of Buyer's own property.
Buyer
10 days before closing
Confirm clear to close from lender
H-3(b): if Buyer has met every condition of the commitment letter but the lender fails to FUND before closing, Buyer may terminate under O-3.
Lender
5 days before closing
Title commitment / prelim received
Title company issues the commitment / preliminary report.
Title / escrow
7 business days after the contract date
Receive + review the Preliminary Title Report
G-1: Escrow orders it promptly for delivery to Seller, Buyer and their agents. G-2 lists what title is conveyed subject to — including every recorded condominium, cooperative, PUD, subdivision and association document.
Title / escrow
10 days after the contract date
Receive the association documents from Seller
M-1: Seller, at Seller's expense, provides the full set within the stated days of the Acceptance Date — approved minutes of the last three board meetings, minutes of the last annual meeting, articles, by-laws, CC&Rs, house rules, current and proposed budget, current financial statement, reserve study, insurance summary, design guidelines, lender's disclosures, any unresolved litigation complaints, and the RR105c Project Information Form. Buyer acknowledges receipt in writing within the stated days.
Seller
10 days after the contract date
Title report objection deadline
G-2(a): if Buyer is not satisfied with the Preliminary Title Report, Buyer may elect to terminate under O-2 "within ______ days of Buyer's receipt" — the clock runs from RECEIPT, not from acceptance. G-2(b) then gives Seller the stated days after being told to cure any defect.
Buyer
15 days after the contract date
Title review complete (Schedule B exceptions cleared)
Review the commitment; clear or resolve Schedule B exceptions.
Title / escrow
12 business days after the contract date
Association documents review deadline
M-1: "If within the review period of ______ calendar days or [fifteen (15) calendar days if left blank] of Buyer's receipt of the documents Buyer does not accept the Property based on information contained in the documents," Buyer may terminate under O-2. On a Hawaii condo this is usually the contingency that matters most, and its clock starts on RECEIPT — if the documents come late, this deadline lands late too. M-2 recommends Buyer have an attorney or CPA read them; the brokerage does not interpret them.
Buyer
25 days after the contract date
Confirm which closing-extension option was chosen (F-3)
F-3 makes the parties pick one. Under F-3(a) a party blocked by reasons beyond its control may extend the Scheduled Closing Date by the stated days on written notice given BEFORE that date — "There is no automatic right to extend." Under F-3(b) time is of the essence and there is no extension at all without a written agreement. Which box was ticked decides whether a slipping closing is curable.
Buyer's agent
14 days before closing
Bind homeowner's insurance
On a condominium, check what the association's master policy covers before sizing the buyer's own policy — the M-1 insurance summary is the document that tells you. Hurricane coverage is a separate consideration in Hawaii.
Buyer
10 days before closing
Payoffs / HOA demand received
Loan payoff(s) and HOA demand/estoppel received by escrow.
Title / escrow
7 business days before closing
Confirm the proration figures with Escrow
F-5: Escrow prorates on a THIRTY (30) DAY basis as of the date of closing — real property tax, lease rents (leasehold), interest on assumed obligations, mortgage and other insurance premiums, tenant rents, maintenance, private sewer, marina and association fees. The 30-day basis is written into the form; do not assume actual-days.
Title / escrow
7 days before closing
CPL issued to lender
Closing Protection Letter issued to the lender.
Title / escrow
5 business days before closing
Review Closing Disclosure (3-day rule)
Lender
3 business days before closing
Closing statement prepared & balanced
CD (financed) or ALTA settlement statement (cash) prepared and balanced.
Title / escrow
4 business days before closing
Clear to close received
Lender issues clear-to-close.
Lender
3 business days before closing
CD delivered (TRID 3-day clock started)
Closing Disclosure delivered to buyer — starts the TRID 3-business-day clock.
Title / escrow
3 business days before closing
Sign conveyance documents at Escrow
F-1 requires the parties to promptly execute appropriate or customary documents when Escrow asks. S-4: electronic signatures bind for the contract, but conveyance, mortgage and other recordable documents "must be executed, acknowledged, and delivered in original form and will not be acceptable if signed only electronically" — wet ink and a notary, and mainland buyers need lead time.
Title / escrow
3 days before closing
Signing scheduled (notary / RON / in-office)
Closing appointment scheduled.
Title / escrow
2 business days before closing
Final walk-through
J-3: Buyer may conduct the walk-through no later than the stated days prior to closing, to confirm the property is in the same condition as when inspected and to check agreed repairs. Utilities must be on, including propane, at Seller's expense. "If Buyer and/or Buyer's representative fails to conduct the final walk through within the specified time period, Buyer will have waived this right."
Buyer's agent
2 days before closing
Closing — recordation at the Bureau of Conveyances
F-1: closing IS recordation — "the date when all appropriate conveyance documents are recorded." F-2: if the Scheduled Closing Date falls on a day the Bureau of Conveyances is closed, closing moves to the next day documents can be recorded. Check the Bureau's calendar, not just the bank's: Hawaii observes Prince Kuhio Day, King Kamehameha I Day and Statehood Day.
Title / escrow
On closing
Funded (wire received & confirmed)
Funds wired and confirmed received by escrow.
Title / escrow
On closing
Confirm recordation
Because closing is defined as recordation, the file is not closed until the Bureau confirms it. Hawaii records in either the Regular System or Land Court, and Land Court transfers run on their own timetable — confirm which system the property sits in.
Title / escrow
1 business day after closing
Recorded (county confirmation)
Deed / mortgage recorded — county e-recording confirmation received.
Title / escrow
1 business day after closing
Deliver keys + possession
Keys and possession transfer at closing unless the contract sets a different possession date. Anything later is post-closing occupancy and needs a written agreement.
Buyer's agent
On possession
Send closing documents to buyer
Buyer's agent
2 days after closing
Disbursed / policy issued / file closed
Proceeds disbursed, title policy issued, escrow file closed.
Title / escrow
2 business days after closing
Request online review from buyer
Buyer's agent
3 days after closing
Is this right for Hawaii?
These are real statutory deadlines and they change. If something here is wrong or out of date, we'd genuinely rather hear it.
Not in Hawaii?
33 states are live — pick yours from the State list at the top of the page, or the links just above. Somewhere else? Tell us which state you work in and we'll email you when its checklist is up. No other email, and you can unsubscribe from the first one.
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This checklist is a working aid, not legal advice, and deadlines on your file are governed by your contract. Check every date against the executed agreement.
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