Timeline of Purchasing a House

Posted on November 3, 2021

If you’re thinking of buying a house, but don’t want the whole process to take 6 months, there are some things you can do to speed up the process. 

How long does it take to buy a house on average? 

The average time it takes to buy a house is 4 ½ months. Some homeowners can get in their home faster than this while others can take longer! How fast you get into your new home all depends on how prepared you are and how many homes are available on the market. Here’s a simple timeline to follow if you want to be in a new home as fast as possible. 

Do your research

Before you do anything, start looking around for a loan officer to get you pre-approved. This will give you a better idea of what you can afford for a house. This will also make the home shopping process less overwhelming by looking in a certain price range. Getting pre-approved with a loan officer means they will need a few personal docs from you. If you stick with them, it can also mean the rest of the home buying process might go a little faster because they already have a good portion of what they need from you to move forward. 

Find a home

Now that you know what you can afford, what do you need and want in your home? Make a list of your “must-haves” and don’t budge! Make sure you are also shopping around for a neighborhood you love and feel safe in. You can always update your home, but you cannot change your neighbors without moving again. Being prepared and knowing what you want in your next home can speed up the process and save you days or even weeks. Find a real estate agent you trust to help you see all your options in your price range. 

Make an offer

Once you find your dream home, make an offer! This is where your real estate agents can help. They will provide knowledge of the market and how much over asking (if any) you should offer. They can also write your offer letter, set you up for negotiation success and make sure you aren’t leaving any loose ends that might hurt your chances of getting the house. 

If your offer is accepted, it means it is time to close! There are lots of papers to sign and a lot of communication will happen between you, your realtor, your loan officer, the inspector, and the appraiser. Don’t let this scare you! Once again, your real estate agent is there to help coordinate all of this. Here is the order things usually happen: sign a contract, get a final mortgage approval, have a home inspection, get title insurance, get homeowners insurance, arrange for closing funds, do a final walk-through, and finally close on your house.