How Long Does It Take to Buy a House from Start to Finish

Let’s imagine that you have the job of your dream. You wake up happy every morning as the things you do make you feel nice. Despite that, your salary is good and you do not have a problem covering all the everyday costs.

Additionally, let’s imagine that you plan to make a big step in your life. After years of love with your partner, you decided to get married and have a child. Doesn’t everything we just said seems like a dream that all young adults hope will become reality one day? 

Well, if your life story is similar or identical, then we can guess what you plan to do next. You are probably planning to buy a house and ensure yourself and your family a safe place to live. In case we guessed your intention and goal, then this article can be pretty useful for you. 

Many people that want to become homeowners are not sure how long does it take to buy a house from start to finish. As you can already guess, giving a precise answer to that question is impossible. Many internal and external factors can influence the entire process. 

However, that doesn’t mean it is impossible to approximately determine the time you will have to spend. Every process is almost identical. There are a couple of stages you will have to pass through to reach your goal. That is the reason why we will analyze one by one and try to give you an answer that way. Let’s go! 

First Step: Mortage Pre-Approval

As a future homeowner, the first thing you will have to focus on is mortgage pre-approval. This document actually describes your true ability to get a bank loan for your new home. More precisely, it shows how much money you can ensure to buy a new house. 

So, why are you doing this? Let’s say that you and three other couples like the same house. If other couples have the preapproved mortgage, your chances to inspire the seller are minimal. Moreover, most sellers will not even put you into consideration if you do not have this document. 

The good news is that we live in the world of online technology. Believe it or not, you can complete the entire process for a couple of minutes from the comfort of your room. Whether it will be 5 minutes or 25 minutes is something that depends on the mortgage lender himself. 

Researching the Market and Finding the House

Here comes the longest part of the process! First of all, you (and your partner) will have to sit down and try to determine what you are looking for. You need to know all the details such as the size of the house, neighborhood, design, and other characteristics. 

After you determine what you are looking for, the next step is to research the market. You can do that on your own, but you can also decide on hiring a real estate agent. The second option will certainly speed up the process, but that doesn’t mean you will finish the job in a couple of days. 

You will have to visit house by house and see all the details in person. Do not believe too much in images and salesy descriptions. Besides, even if they are fully honest, the feeling that you have when you enter the house is something that matters. If you don’t feel nice when you pass the entrance, then why would you spend your time and money on something like that? 

How long will this last? Well, the minimal amount of time you will have to spend (with the assistance of a real estate agent or any other expert) is a couple of weeks. On the other hand, if you do not determine what you want exactly or you simply hesitate about how much money you can spend, the entire process can last for a couple of months. 

Generally, the demand for new houses also plays a key role. You may find a few houses that meet your expectations, but if you do not act quickly, someone else may buy them. Logically, that will only delay the process. 

Ensuring a Mortgage Loan

A lot of paperwork often requires a lot of time. You will need to submit all the necessary documents when applying alone. Getting a response is usually going to last around 6 weeks. On average, the mortgage loan procedure lasts 53 days. 

Inspection of the House and House Appraisal

After you submit all the necessary documents, you will have to wait for the lender to order the appraisal. Something like that will usually last between 3 and 5 weeks. In the short term, for a couple of weeks, the appraiser will determine the house value and check out how much money you need. The inspection, on the other hand, will last around 10 days. 

Last, but not least – Closing the Loan

The last step you will need to make is to close the loan. Don’t worry, something like this does not last more than a couple of hours. All you will have to do is to sign the documents you deliver as well as pay all the necessary fees. When you do that, the keys are going to be in your hands! 

So, How Much Time Do I Need?

As mentioned, it is hard to precisely determine how much time you will need to buy a new home. However, when you look closer, the entire process can last for up to 2 months. In case you do hesitate too much, or you simply do not know what you are looking for, the entire process may last even longer. 

Generally speaking, you should not complete these tasks in a hurry. However, you should also not hesitate too much. It is essential to find the balance and use all the available options that can speed up the process. 

One of the options that you have is to find experts that can help you speed up the entire process. If that seems like a legit solution, you can click here and find out one of the options that you have. Are you ready to buy a new way of living?