How long does it take to buy a house?

By David McMillin, Bankrate.com

Buying a home doesn’t deliver the instant gratification you’re accustomed to in today’s e-commerce world. There’s no “Buy Now” button for real estate — the process requires a number of steps and a lot of patience.

And even after you find the perfect place, you’ll still need to do more waiting: The average time to buy a house, from contract to closing, was 44 days as of October 2024, according to data from ICE Mortgage Technology.

Timeline to buy a house...