219 votes, 148 comments. The only ones that can instruct escrow to not close are the principals ( buyer and seller ) only .Agents don't legally have the right to. Learn the steps in a real estate transaction and what happens with sale of property. Find a real estate lawyer. The buyer has asked if it is ok for us to close on our target date even though the repairs to the house that the seller is contracted to fix are not all done. The rules determining when a seller can cancel a signed contract depend heavily on what's in the contract. It is the moment when ownership of the property officially transfers from the seller to the buyer. The first step in any real estate transaction is to find a buyer and accept his or her offer. After doing a home inspection, should the buyer requests the seller do repairs or just negotiate a price reduction?