The Costs That Show Up After Your Offer Is Accepted: A Riverside County Buyer's Guide

What costs come up after your offer is accepted? Inspection and appraisal fees, any specialist inspections, insurance, HOA and escrow fees, and after closing, repairs from the inspection report, moving costs and a supplemental property tax bill.

By Chris Leeper, REALTOR®, DRE #01881634 · Leeper Realty Group, brokered by eXp Realty of California, Inc. · Published October 2026

In 2025, we had a buyer under contract on a home that was gorgeous and completely remodeled. The inspection was clean, and the seller had disclosed everything they knew. Then the buyer went to get insurance. The insurance company reported a past water leak claim on the property and told them that to get a policy, the home would need to be repiped.

The buyer started wondering whether the leak had been repaired properly and whether there could be mold behind the new finishes, and a repipe is a major expense. They cancelled.

Most buyers walk into escrow with a pre-approval and a monthly payment in mind. That number covers the loan. Buying a house also brings fees, surprises and a to-do list, and some of those can shake an escrow or end it. Here's what to expect, in the order it usually shows up.

Right After Your Offer Is Accepted

Your deposit. The earnest money deposit goes into escrow shortly after acceptance, on the timeline your offer sets. It counts toward your purchase, but it's cash you need available right away. While your contingencies are in place, a cancellation for a reason they cover generally gets your deposit back. Once you remove contingencies, the deposit is at risk if you walk away, which is one more reason to get the information in this article early.

The general home inspection. This is usually the buyer's cost. Inspectors set their own fees, typically on a sliding scale by the size of the home, so a larger house costs more to inspect. Those fees have risen along with the cost of most services.

Specialist inspections. Many buyers start with a general inspection only. If the inspector flags something, it can call for a specialist: a roofer, a plumber with a sewer line camera, an electrician, a pool inspector, a structural engineer or an HVAC technician. Each of those is another fee, and each has to fit inside your contingency period.

Some of these come out of nowhere. We've had at least two deals that needed a land surveyor to confirm where the property lines actually were. One was a custom-built home on its own lot, where the buyer paid for the survey because they wanted the property lines marked. The other was a standard tract home where the property markers had been set in the wrong place, and the seller paid. Neither split is standard. Each one came down to how it was negotiated at the time. Nobody expects to need a survey on a tract home, and then it becomes the thing holding up the escrow.

Septic and termite inspections. In our market right now, the seller is usually paying for septic and termite inspections in the deals we see. That's a negotiated term, and it can be written into an offer as a buyer cost. Check your purchase agreement so you know which side you're on.

Expect some pushback on termite, too. With buyers asking for more concessions overall, we've been countering the termite inspection out of our own listings when a buyer writes it into the offer. When our seller does cover it, or we already know there's significant damage, we put a cap on the repair amount, and the buyer pays anything above the cap. If you see a cap in a counter offer, that's money that can land on your side of the closing statement, the final accounting of who pays what when escrow closes. Ask your agent what the repairs might run before you accept it.

During Your Contingency Period

This is where most of the surprises live, and where you still have the ability to renegotiate or walk away under your contingencies.

Insurance

Insurance has gotten more expensive across the board, so a new quote can come in higher than you planned even on a home with no issues. Our insurance cost guide goes deeper on pricing.

Two other things catch buyers off guard.

You may not get to shop around. In our recent deals, some homes could only get a policy from one company, and some buyers end up on the California FAIR Plan, the state's insurer of last resort. You get what you can get, so start early.

The insurer sees the home's claims history. Insurance companies check a database of past claims on the property, usually through what's called a CLUE report, which covers the last seven years of claims. Buyers can't pull that report themselves. A past claim can raise questions the inspection didn't, and an insurer can require repairs, like a repipe, before it will write a policy. That's what happened to our buyer on the remodeled home. You can ask the seller for a copy of their CLUE report early in escrow, since homeowners can request their own once a year at no cost.

Thinking about an older home or one with a claims history you're unsure of? Text me the address before you write your offer, and we'll talk through what to ask the seller and your insurance agent first.

HOA documents and fees

If the home is in an HOA, you'll get its documents during escrow: the budget, the rules, meeting minutes and the reserve study. The reserve study is the HOA's plan for paying for big future repairs, like roofs, paving or a community pool, and a thinly funded one can mean higher dues or a special assessment later. Read all of it for upcoming dues increases or special assessments the board is planning. There are also HOA transfer and document fees at closing, and who pays them is negotiable.

Mello-Roos and other special taxes

Many newer neighborhoods in Riverside County, especially in places like Menifee, Eastvale and Beaumont, carry Mello-Roos special taxes on top of the regular property tax. Two homes at the same price can have very different monthly costs because of it. The special tax shows up in the disclosures during escrow, and your lender will build it into your payment. Ask your lender early how it changes your monthly number, ideally before you write the offer.

Leased solar

If the home has leased solar, taking it over usually means qualifying with the solar company and assuming the payment for the rest of the lease. Get the monthly payment, any annual increase and the remaining term in writing before you remove contingencies.

Your to-do list from the inspection

Once the inspection is done, you have a to-do list whether you planned for one or not. The seller may agree to fix some items or give a credit, but much of what's on that report becomes deferred maintenance you'll take care of after you close. Read it as a budget, and ask your inspector which items are urgent and which can wait.

At the Loan and Appraisal Stage

The appraisal fee. The appraisal is ordered by your lender and paid by you, often up front. Like inspections, appraisal fees are set individually and tend to scale with the size of the home, and they've gone up.

An appraisal that comes in low. If the home appraises below the price, the lender bases your loan on the lower value. You can renegotiate the price, cover the difference in cash, or cancel under your appraisal contingency if you still have it. Covering a gap is one of the larger surprise costs in an escrow.

A rate change before you lock. Rates moved a lot in 2026, and the payment you planned around at the offer depends on the rate you end up locking. If rates rise between acceptance and your lock, your payment rises with them. As an example only, on a $500,000 loan a quarter-point increase adds roughly $80 to $90 a month in principal and interest, and a half-point increase adds roughly $165 to $175, or around $2,000 a year. Ask your lender on day one when you can lock and how long the lock lasts, and what happens if your escrow runs longer than planned.

At Closing

Your lender's estimate of cash to close will change as escrow goes on. Expect some or all of these, depending on what your offer says and what's customary in your deal:

• Escrow and title fees. Escrow companies set their own fees, often scaled to the purchase price. Our closing costs guide covers who usually pays what in California.
• A transaction coordinator fee, if one is part of your transaction.
• HOA transfer and document fees.
• A home warranty, if your offer made it a buyer cost.
• Buyer's agent compensation, depending on what was negotiated in your buyer agreement and your offer. Sometimes the seller contributes and sometimes it's part of your cash to close, so know which before escrow opens.
• Prepaid items, such as your first year of homeowners insurance and money set aside for property taxes.

After You Get the Keys

Moving costs. Movers, truck rentals, time off work and overlap on rent or your current mortgage add up quickly.

Utility start-up fees. Some utility providers charge a fee or a deposit to open a new account.

The supplemental property tax bill. When you buy, the county reassesses the home at your purchase price. The Riverside County Assessor explains that the difference between the old and new value is billed separately as a supplemental tax bill, prorated for the rest of the fiscal year. It's sent directly to you, not to your mortgage company, and it can take up to a year after closing to arrive. The Assessor has a supplemental tax estimator you can use to plan for it.

Estimating from your current home. Buyers often use their current property tax and utility bills to estimate the next home's. That usually underestimates. Your new tax bill starts from your purchase price, at the 1% base rate under Proposition 13 plus any local voter-approved taxes and special taxes for that area, so the seller's bill may tell you very little. A bigger house or a larger lot also raises nearly every utility, from electricity to water for landscaping.

General maintenance and upkeep. Filters, pest control, landscaping, gutters, appliance repairs and the items on your inspection list all fall to you now. New homeowners often don't budget for this at all. Service costs are rising too: in September 2026, prices for services were up 3.1% from a year earlier, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

For a fuller look at monthly ownership costs before you start shopping, see our guide to how much house you can afford in the Inland Empire.

How to Keep These Costs From Ending Your Escrow

You can see most of these costs coming. The buyers who close smoothly do a few things early:

1. Get an insurance quote in the first days of escrow, or before you write an offer on an older home, and ask the seller for their CLUE report.
2. Schedule the inspection right away, and leave room in your contingency period for specialists.
3. Ask your lender how property taxes and any Mello-Roos tax change your payment before you write the offer.
4. Request HOA documents and any solar lease early, and read them before your contingencies expire.
5. Keep cash in reserve beyond your down payment and closing costs, for an appraisal gap, the supplemental tax bill and the first round of repairs.

Buyers have more leverage than they did a few years ago, and that includes room to renegotiate when something real turns up. The goal is to find those things while your contingencies still protect you, so every negotiation starts with the facts in hand.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who pays for the home inspection in California?

The buyer usually pays for the general home inspection and any specialist inspections they choose. Septic and termite inspections are often paid by the seller in our market right now, but that's a negotiated term in the purchase agreement.

Who pays for the appraisal?

The buyer pays for the appraisal through their lender, often up front when it's ordered. The fee varies with the size of the home.

What is a supplemental tax bill?

It's a separate bill, and sometimes two, for the difference between the home's old assessed value and your purchase price, prorated for the rest of the tax year. In Riverside County it's mailed directly to you and can take up to a year after closing to arrive.

Can an insurance company refuse to cover a house I'm buying?

Yes. Insurers can decline a home or require repairs first, sometimes because of the claims history on the property. Getting a quote early in escrow gives you time to find coverage, negotiate a repair or use your contingency if you can't.

How do I find out if a home has Mello-Roos?

Your agent can usually tell from the listing and the neighborhood, and the special tax shows up in the disclosures during escrow. Ask your lender how it affects your monthly payment before you write an offer.

What is a CLUE report?

It's a record of homeowners insurance claims on a property over the past seven years. Buyers can't order it, but the seller can request their own copy for free and share it with you.

For a deeper look at the buying process, including a full timeline and additional tips, visit our Buyer's Guide.

Know the Full Cost Before You Write the Offer

Text me the address of the home you're considering before you write an offer. We'll talk through the costs that come with that specific house, from the insurance to the HOA to the inspection items worth watching, so you know what's coming before your deposit is on the line.

Call or text Chris Leeper at 951-741-5311 or visit https://linktr.ee/leeperrealtygroup.

Who you work with matters.

Chris Leeper, REALTOR®, DRE #01881634, Brokered by eXp Realty of California, Inc.

Sources

• Riverside County Assessor, Supplemental Assessments: https://www.rivcoacr.org/supplementalassessments
• National Association of REALTORS, CLUE reports: https://www.nar.realtor/homeowners-insurance/clue-report
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index, September 2026, released Oct 14, 2026: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.htm