Closing process

[Scott Campbell]

I was wondering if someone could go through and explain the entire closing process when buying a house. For instance, who is involved? What role does a title company play? What exactly is escrow, and earnest money? From what I understand, there is a point where the earnest money is non refundable if the buyer backs out of a purchase (not sure though). At what point does the home inspection take place? Sorry for the beginner question if this has been covered before... Thanks!