How long does it take to buy a house? Understanding the timeline

The process of buying a house can seem challenging if you are just setting out to purchase one for the first time. As a consequence, one of the first questions that buyers usually have is “How long does it take to buy a house?”

To better understand the buying process, it’s important to break down all of the steps involved in buying a house. As an expert real estate agent in Snohomish County, I can help you make the perfect plan and master the home buying process.

What are the stages and how long does it take to buy a house?

May this checklist serve as a guide for you as you dive into the process of buying a house. Make sure that you pay attention to all the details here, as the closing process could take longer depending on how well prepared you are.

Make your Plan

Timeline: 1-10 days

How long does it take to close on a house? The most variable part of this timeline is you making a plan for your real estate goal. Here are the vital questions to ask first.

• Where do you want to live?
• What do you want to live IN?
• Who do you want to live with?
• When do you want to move?
• How much do you think you can afford or maintain?

Of course, you may not know how much you can afford until you get a pre-approval from a mortgage lender. More on that soon. Make your plan and determine what the most important aspects of your next home purchase are.

Get connected with a real estate agent

Timeline: 1-4 days

A real estate agent will help you have a deeper insight into the housing market. Beyond what home search apps can do, a real estate agent has access to historical records of properties and can help you understand what the best points of negotiation will be.

As a Windermere Snohomish County Realtor, I’m able to assist you with any of your home buying or real estate questions.

Mortgage pre-approval

Timeline: 1-7 days

No matter what, you will want to get pre-approved for a mortgage. Before you make an offer, sellers are going to expect that you can pay what you are offering. Without a mortgage pre-approval, you will only have a notion of what you can afford.

Your real estate agent can assist you in getting connected with a lender who will help you conceptualize what you can realistically afford, and deliver you a letter of pre-qualification showing exactly how much you are authorized to spend.

House hunting!

Timeline: 1 day – several months

This is a tough one to pin down an exact time-frame on. House hunting is very subjective to the individual’s tastes, needs, and what the market is doing. Sometimes you may find a home that’s highly appealing, but has many offers on it. Other times, you may find that there is barely a THING on the market that appeals to you.

Make an offer, sign, and be mutual

Timeline: 1-5 days

When you do find that perfect new home, your Realtor will help you to put in a competitive offer and negotiate with the seller. This process may involve one or two counter-offers, or the seller may accept your offer outright.

It’s important in your offer to consider any contingencies that you want to have, such as having a home inspection. More on that next.

Home inspection

Timeline: 1-10 days

No matter what, buyers are always advised by their real estate agents to make sure that they get an inspection. After all, there is often “more than meets the eye.” You’re going to be living in this new home, and you deserve to know a little bit about its past, present, and future.

Your real estate agent will assist you by referring several inspectors for you to choose from. In residential properties, this process typically takes anywhere from 1-10 days.

You will have the opportunity to ask for repairs or concessions, based on the findings of your inspection, or also exit the transaction with no cost to you if the inspection reveals any “deal-breakers” for you.

Appraisal

Timeline: 7-14 days

Once you navigate through inspection process, you’ll be set to have an appraisal. This will be coordinated by your lender and the financial institution that will be funding your loan.

As a buyer, you may not need to take any action during the appraisal. The bank simply needs to verify that the home is worth what you are paying for it.

In the event that the appraisal comes in low, your agent will be able to advise you what your options are to proceed and negotiate a positive outcome.

Closing Proceedings

Timeline: Typically 30-40 days

All told, the closing proceedings are the aspect of home buying that takes the most time. Many of the aspects of this process can occur simultaneously with the work that is being done with your agent and the seller.

The closing team helps verify all of the final details:

• Verifying transfer-ability of the subject property
• Coordinating with the lender to make sure funds are wired correctly
• Setting the timeline for recording the official transference of property
• Coordinating the setup of title insurance for you, the buyer
• Much, much more

The closing team has a tremendous responsibility and is dedicated to serving you and all parties in the transaction.

Final Walk-through & Key-hand off

Last but not least, it’ll be time for your transaction to be finalized! You’ll have the opportunity several days prior to closing on the property to walk through and make sure that everything still looks good and move-in ready for you.

Your agent will assist you in handing off the keys, and voilà! You are now a homeowner. And in record time!

How long does it take to buy a house?

Making plans to buy a home can be intimidating. I aim to partner with my clients to dispel as many unknown aspects about the process as possible and be a resource that they can count on. I always take the time to ensure they understand every piece of the process.

If you’re making plans to move in the future, I’m here to assist you. Please click here to get in touch!