A sale is considered closed once the deeds have been recorded. Once this has happened, then you are the owner of the home! It is not always possible for you to move in immediately though. This can happen for several reasons, but the most common is that the seller may be purchasing  for example, a new Jacksonville Florida home. It is usually scheduled to close simultaneously with your purchase of their home. The process can be compared to being at a red light that turns green. Although all of the cars see the light change at the same time, the guy at the back of the line doesn’t begin moving until the cars ahead of him have begun moving. It is customary to allow the seller up to a maximum of three days to turn over actual possession and keys to the home. These conditions should be clearly defined in your offer to avoid any confusion later.