How Long Does It Take To Buy a Home?

by Brian Huie on 1/22/2024

2-3 Months from Preapproval to Close

Typically 2-3 Months from preapproval to close but can be 2 weeks or 2 years. It depends on what part of the Pacific Northwest we are searching, how frequently we expect to see what we are looking for, and how seriously we are searching. In Seattle, a “typical” BH Group home buyer should expect to be searching for about 2 months in the summer months when we have the most number of new listings. There’s more competition but with our tools, strategies, and obsession with the market, we typically find homes for our clients in 1/3 of the time as most buyers.

Before the search, we will tackle the “onboarding” phase consisting of a discovery meeting, lender preapprovals (or gathering proof of cash funds), and filling out all the agency forms and disclosures. This is followed by a discovery tour before kicking off the actual home search. In a pinch, we’ve onboarded new clients in as little as a day but it will most likely take about 1-2 weeks. The search then takes about 2 months for most of our clients but no matter if we find our home on the first day or in a year, you have our undivided attention until we find you your home. If we make an offer on a home and is accepted, we then enter into a “transaction” phase where we may negotiate multiple times, perform inspections, and sign documents. This period takes 10-28 days in the Seattle real estate market but is slower in more rural counties.

We have a timeline with more details - Click here for more information and for the timeline!