You found the home.
Now get to the keys — with no shocks at the wire.

From the signed offer to the keys there are about ten steps. Each has a person in charge, a paper, and a place money can go wrong. This guide walks every step in order — who does what, what you sign, where your money goes. On the Houston-area deal, signed offer to keys took about 45 days.

The guide answers the questions you're asking now:

• Who gets my wire — and how do I know it is not a thief's account?
• Which papers come first — the tax ID, the offer, the title?
• How do I move the money from home to the U.S. the right way?
• What will the lender ask for — and how do I show it from home? (A separate lender checks if you qualify.)
• Do I have to fly there to close — and what if I can't get a visa?
• What hits me after I own it — property tax, insurance, tax forms on the rent?

If your spouse asks, "how do we know the money is safe?" — the Wire Safety Steps are the page you hand them.

Where this ends: the keys in your hand, the deed recorded in your name, and every dollar where it should be.