You, as the buyer, make an offer to the seller. The seller accepts, rejects, or counters the offer w/in 24 hours (that is what we ask for). Then, once the offer between you and the seller is executed (with a contingency of the lien holder accepting it), the seller then takes the offer to their lien holder. This is where the wait occurs.
The seller's representative (the listing agent or maybe an attorney) compiles a package of between 50 and 80 pages containing: the offer between buyer and seller w/short sale addendum buyer's prequalification letter arm's length transaction forms (sometimes) by (0 comments)