How Long Does It Take to Buy A Home?

The short answer is that it takes on average about 4.5 months to buy a home. However, different aspects of buying a home happen at different times. Here’s a handy timeline for buying a home.


At 6 months or more . . .

• Get your credit reports, pay off your credit card debt and save for a down payment
• Calculate how much you can afford to pay for your new home

At 4-5 months . . . 

• Look at homes online and also go to open houses to see what the market is like in your area
• Get to know local real estate agents and lenders, decide who you want on your team

At 2-3 months . . .

• Get pre-approved by a lender and obtain a pre-approval letter, these are usually valid for 60 to 90 days
• Save your online searches for homes and set up accounts so you’re notified about new homes
• Start looking at homes with your real estate agent

At 1-2 months  . . .

• Make an offer on a home! Don’t be discouraged if it isn’t accepted, only about half of buyers have their first offer accepted 
• Make sure your pre-approval letter stays up to date by renewing it if necessary 
• Once an offer is accepted, you will need to get a home inspection of your new home
• For renters, give your landlord enough notice that you will be moving
• Plan your move

At under a month . . .

• Choose your home insurance and let you lender know who it is, you will need this to finalize the loan
• Start packing up your current home
• Ensure that you’re able to access the money for your down payment
• Put the utilities in your name at your new address and fill out change of address forms

Closing day

• Plan for signing your paperwork, get the keys
• Move in to your new home!

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Source: https://www.zillow.com/home-buying-guide/how-long-it-takes-to-buy-a-home/