When your offer was accepted, you signed a contract laying out the terms of your offer, and what was expected both on the part of the seller and you the buyer. Both of you have plenty to do now, and you need to focus on your part of the bargain.

Under specific deadlines, you must have the home appraised and inspected. Necessary repairs then must be completed by the seller or negotiated. Some things the seller may refuse to do, and other things the seller may simply offer to reduce the house price accordingly if you will take the responsibility of having them fixed once you occupy the home.

Minor problems and delays are inevitable. On the seller's side, title problems are a common cause of postponed settlements. On your side, there are a host of issues that can delay processing your mortgage in time for your settlement.

Should you run into problems that prevent you from being ready to close, contact the seller immediately and work out an extension. You shouldn't be penalized if the problem is one you couldn't have anticipated.

While you're waiting for completion of all the processes now in motion, you should:

• Decide how you want to take title to the house -- your name alone, joint ownership with a spouse or through a limited partnership.
• Apply for homeowners insurance.
• Get an exact accounting of settlement costs, and make sure the money and necessary documents will be there at closing. You can use the how much will my closing costs be? calculator as a guide or to total up the numbers.
• Select a date for the walk-through of the house. You may wish to have a walk-through two weeks or so before you intend to close if you expect work will need to be done by the seller. Then a final inspection can be made just prior to settlement.
• Contact the utility companies about establishing service in your name. Arrange for electricity, gas, oil and water to be turned on in your name on the day of settlement so that there will be no interruption in service. Make these arrangements a few weeks in advance, since utility companies may require deposits, credit checks and advance notice.
• Contact a moving company about having your possessions moved from your existing residence to your new house. Make sure you know how much this will cost, when you need to make payment, how long it will take them to pack your belongings, and what exactly they are responsible for.

In order for things to go smoothly at the closing, each person must bring certain documents, and you must be prepared to write the necessary checks. Many closing costs can be paid by personal check, but ask the closing attorney or title company. A certified or cashier's check may be required; find out to whom checks should be made payable -- the seller or settlement attorney, for example.

Once all the documents are signed and initialed, the house and the mortgage become yours. If you have followed the steps in this section on buying a house, you should be able to sit back, relax and enjoy your new house (that is, after everything is moved in and unpacked).