So I was talking to a seller yesterday who asked me point blank: "Jerrie, why does everyone give me a different answer when I ask how long this will take?" Great question. The truth is that selling a house isn't one process with one timeline. It's really three distinct phases, and each one has its own variables that can speed things up or slow them down considerably.
According to the most recent National Association of REALTORS® Existing-Home Sales Report from September 2025, the average home takes 86 days from listing to closing. That figure captures the period once your home hits the market through when you hand over the keys. But here's what that number doesn't include: the weeks or months of preparation before you ever put that "For Sale" sign in your yard.
The housing market in late 2025 is showing interesting patterns. NAR's September data reveals that inventory reached 1.55 million units with 4.6 months' supply, representing a 15.7% increase year-over-year. NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun noted in the September report that falling mortgage rates are lifting home sales and improving affordability. The median existing home price reached $415,200, up 2.1% from the previous year.
This is where most sellers underestimate the timeline. You want to put your house on the market tomorrow. But rushing this phase almost always costs you time and money later.
Based on the home's condition, pre-listing prep typically falls into three categories:
Move-In Ready Homes (2-3 weeks): If your home is well-maintained, you're looking at basic prep work including deep cleaning, decluttering, minor touch-ups, and staging consultation. Many sellers in this category can list within 14-21 days.
Moderate Preparation (4-8 weeks): Most homes fall here. You'll need to address deferred maintenance items that inspectors will flag anyway. Think: patching drywall, fixing that leaky faucet, replacing dated light fixtures, and freshening up paint in high-traffic areas.
Extensive Preparation (8-12 weeks): Homes needing major repairs require the longest prep time. If you're dealing with HVAC replacement, roof repairs, structural issues, or significant cosmetic updates, plan for at least two to three months. Some sellers decide to list "as-is" instead, which impacts both timeline and final sale price.
While working on the physical property, gather essential documentation: property deed and survey, recent property tax statements, HOA documents if applicable, warranties for major systems and appliances, records of improvements and repairs, and utility bills to show average costs. These are the basic documents every buyer will ask for.
Your real estate agent will conduct a comparative market analysis during this phase. In September 2025, homes in many markets are receiving offers close to asking price rather than significantly above it, making accurate initial pricing more critical than during the frenzied seller's market of recent years.
Let me give you a real example with actual numbers. Say you have a 2,000 square foot home in a suburban neighborhood. Three comparable homes sold recently:
Property
List Price
Sale Price
Days on Market
Price Ratio
Property A
$425,000
$420,000
38 days
98.8%
Property B
$449,000
$435,000
67 days
96.9%
Property C
$410,000
$418,000
23 days
102.0%
Property C's pricing strategy resulted in the fastest sale with the best outcome. Property B sat on the market longest because it was initially overpriced. According to NAR data, homes that stay on the market longer than 51 days often receive lower offers as buyers wonder what's wrong with the property.
When your home goes on the market, you enter what I call the "critical window." The NAR report from September 2025 says that the median days on market is 51 days across the country (as of October 29, 2025). However, this number varies a lot by region, price point, and type of property.
The first 14 days your home is on the market are very important, just between you and me. This is when you'll get the most online views, scheduled showings, and serious buyers. If a home doesn't get a lot of interest in the first two weeks, it may need to lower its price.
We only work with buyers at AmeriSave who are serious and have the money to do so. Our buyers have already been preapproved for a mortgage and know how much they can spend when they make an offer. As a seller, this qualification is important because offers from buyers who have already been approved for a mortgage are more likely to close quickly and reliably than offers from buyers who are just starting their mortgage process.
It's time to have an honest talk with your agent if you haven't seen any activity in two weeks. The three problems that happen the most often are:
You agreed to an offer. You're not done yet, though. NAR's data from September 2025 shows that it takes about 35 days on average from signing a contract to closing. This stage has a lot of important checkpoints where deals can still fall through.
Most purchase agreements have an inspection contingency that gives buyers 7 to 10 days to have the home inspected. Almost always, the inspection finds something. That is normal and to be expected. The question is whether those results are small problems that need to be fixed or big problems that need to be worked out.
If the inspection finds big problems, you'll have to negotiate. Options usually include the seller agreeing to make repairs before closing, the seller giving the buyer a credit at closing to cover repairs, lowering the price to cover repairs, splitting the repair costs between the buyer and seller, or the buyer walking away using their inspection contingency.
If the buyer is getting a loan to buy the home, their lender will order an appraisal to make sure that the home's value is enough to cover the loan amount. Hold on, I need to make that point about appraisals clearer because it's very important. I should point out that the appraiser is not someone who works for the lender or the buyer. They are an independent third party. According to the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), home values rose 2.1% year-over-year in September 2025. If your home was priced correctly, appraisals usually come in at or near the contract price.
But there are problems with appraisals. If the appraisal is low, the buyer can bring more money to make up the difference, the seller can lower the price to the appraised value, the buyer can appeal the appraisal with more comps, or the deal can fall through and you can relist.
During inspections and appraisals, the title company looks into your property's title to make sure you own it clearly and can legally transfer it. They are looking for unpaid property taxes, HOA dues, judgment liens against property owners, and problems with the chain of title.
Most title searches go smoothly, but if there are any problems, they need to be fixed before closing. A lien or title defect that you didn't expect can push back closing by weeks.
At the same time, the lender for your buyer is finishing up the final underwriting. Before giving you the final loan approval, they will check your employment, look over your most recent bank statements, and check your credit again. This is why people are told not to buy big things or change jobs during this time.
Buyers usually do a final walk-through of the property 24 to 48 hours before closing to make sure that the condition hasn't changed and that the agreed-upon repairs have been made. At closing, both sides sign a lot of papers, money is moved, and the property officially changes hands. The closing itself lasts one to two hours.
Based on what I see every day in 37 states, let me tell you the straight truth about what makes home sales go faster or slower.
In most areas, the housing market in September 2025 is moderately better for sellers. According to NAR data, there are 4.6 months' worth of inventory on the market. This is higher than the record lows of 2021, but still lower than the 6 months that show a balanced market.
Signs of a Seller's Market (Quicker Sales):
• Inventory supply for less than four months
• Getting more than one offer is normal
• Houses selling for the asking price or more
• The average number of days on the market is less than 40.
Signs of a Buyer's Market (Sales Slowing Down):
• More than six months' worth of inventory
• Price cuts are common
• Houses selling for less than the asking price
• The average number of days on the market is over 60.
This is where sellers often make mistakes. I get that you have a strong emotional connection to your home and want to get as much money as you can from the sale. But charging too much will cost you time and money in the end.
Here's the math on a real-life situation I just worked through with a seller in the Dallas-Fort Worth area:
Option A: The price is $385,000, which is what the market says it is worth.
• Days on the market: 28
• The final sale price was $383,000, which is 99.5% of the asking price.
• Costs of holding during sale: $1,400
Option B: Price 7% More Than the Market ($412,000)
• Days on the market: 74 (after the price went down on day 45)
• The final sale price was $380,000, which was 92% of the asking price.
• Costs of holding during sale: $3,700
• The net difference is $5,700 less and 46 more days.
The seller who set the price high thought they were making the most money. Instead, they made less money and had to deal with two more months of showings, stress, and not knowing what would happen.
The state of your home and where it is located
The state of your home has a direct effect on how quickly it sells and whether you have to wait during the inspection phase.
In great shape: the timeline is not affected or is positively affected (it can sell 20% faster), and there are few negotiations during the inspection.
Good Condition: No effect on the timeline, moderate negotiations for repairs/credits ($2,000–5,000).
Fair to Poor Condition: Timeline impact negative (20–50% longer), major inspection negotiations (repairs/credits of $10,000 or more)
The real estate market has its own seasonal patterns. NAR's 2025 study found that April is still the best month for sellers, with prices higher than average and more buyers looking to buy.
Spring (March to May): The fastest time frames, usually 15–20% faster than the yearly average
Summer (June to August): The timeline is usually close to the market average.
Fall (September to November): The timeline is 10 to 15% longer than in the spring.
According to ATTOM Data Solutions, October is usually the slowest month, and winter (December to February) is 20 to 30% longer than spring.
Everyone wants to make a lot of money and sell quickly. Let me show you some strategies that really work.
A lot of sellers don't think about this: getting your own inspection before you list. It costs $300 to $500 up front, but listen to me.
You can avoid surprises, show that you're honest, and speed up the process by inspecting before listing. When sellers give buyers a recent inspection report, buyers often skip their own inspection or only look for big problems. This can cut your contract-to-closing time by 7 to 10 days.
Repairs and updates that are planned and pay off
Not all improvements give you the same return on your money.
Improvements with a high return on investment (often 100% or more):
• New paint in neutral colors (cost: $300–$1,000)
• Deep cleaning and getting rid of things you don't need ($200–500)
• Landscaping and making the house look good from the street (cost: $400–800)
Improvements with a moderate return on investment (50–80%):
• New carpet in important places (cost: $1,000–3,000)
• Updating the bathroom (vanity, fixtures) costs between $800 and $2,500.
Improvements with low ROI (usually 30–50% return):
• Big kitchen remodel (costs $15,000 to $40,000)
• Adding more square footage (cost: $20,000–60,000)
The most important thing is to make sure that the changes you make fit with your timeline and goals. If you need to sell right away, only look at the high-ROI category.
Some sellers choose to sell "as-is" instead of fixing things. This method works best when you don't have a lot of time, the repairs you need cost more than 10% of the home's value, you don't have the money to pay for them up front, or the home needs a lot of updating that buyers will do anyway.
Know what "as-is" really means: you'll almost definitely get less money for your home than if you fixed it up. An "as-is" sale usually adds 15–25% to the time your home is on the market, but it cuts out the need for repairs and upfront costs.
Your real estate agent is more important than almost anything else on your timeline. A knowledgeable agent who knows your area can cut weeks off your timeline.
At AmeriSave, we work closely with agents who know how to handle the money side of deals. When sellers' agents and buyers' lenders talk to each other clearly, closing times get shorter because problems are dealt with before they happen instead of at the last minute.
Let me go over the most common reasons why home sales take longer than planned.
Problem #1: The money doesn't come through
Mortgage industry data shows that about 8–10% of home purchase contracts fall through because of problems with financing. This can happen if the buyer gets preapproval but not full underwriting approval, if the buyer makes big purchases during the contract period, if the buyer's job situation changes, or if there are problems with the source of the down payment.
How to Protect Yourself: Ask for proof of preapproval, ask buyers to use reputable lenders with high closing rates, keep backup offers during the option period, and put the right contingency deadlines in your contract.
When buyers work with well-known mortgage lenders like AmeriSave, they've usually been through a more thorough qualification process up front, which greatly lowers the risk of financing failures.
About 25% of closings that are late are because of title issues. Some of the most common problems are unpaid contractor liens, property taxes or HOA dues, divorce decree requirements not being met, and unpaid debts from the previous owner that became property liens.
Before you list, get your own title report as a way to avoid problems. This costs between $150 and $250 and can help you find problems before they become too serious to fix.
Problem #3: Stalemate in Negotiations for Inspection
Most of the time, home inspections find problems. The question is whether they are serious problems that need to be fixed or just small things that need to be taken care of.
Category 1: Safety Problems and Major Defects—Fix them or give them real credits. There isn't usually a good ending to these fights.
Category 2: Normal Wear and Maintenance—Push back on these. Instead of listing each item, give a small credit for the whole category.
Category 3: Buyer Preferences—Say No. These are not part of reasonable inspection negotiations.
The Smooth Sale (58 Days Total) is the first example.
The house is in good shape and has 1,800 square feet of living space. It costs $340,000. Listed, got two offers in 12 days, accepted at $338,000, fixed minor inspection issues with a $500 credit, appraisal came in at contract price, and closed on day 58. What made this go smoothly: fair prices, good condition, and a motivated buyer who was qualified.
Example 2: The Rocky Sale (127 Days in Total)
The house is 2,400 square feet and needs some work, and it was originally priced at $485,000. There was little activity for nine weeks. The first offer fell through, and the price was lowered to $465,000. The second offer was for $450,000, but it took a lot of work to get it accepted because of $12,000 in inspection issues. The appraisal came in low, so the price had to be lowered again.
Finally, on day 127, the sale was completed. What went wrong: the price was too high at first, there were problems with the condition, and there was a gap in the appraisal.
Based on current NAR data, the average time it takes to sell a house in 2025 is 86 days from listing to closing. However, your specific timeline will be very different depending on how well you prepare, how you price the house, its condition, and where it is located.
There are some things that all of the sellers who close quickly have in common. They don't rush to market; instead, they get ready well before listing. They set prices correctly from the start based on data from the market. They make smart repairs that pay off in the long run. They hire professionals who are good at talking to each other. And they stay open and adaptable during the whole process.
The September 2025 market is a good chance for sellers who plan ahead. Lawrence Yun, an economist at NAR, says that lower mortgage rates are boosting home sales and making homes more affordable. The median price of a home rose 2.1% from the previous year to $415,200.
We're seeing a lot of activity from qualified buyers who are ready to move forward at AmeriSave. Before making an offer, our preapproval process makes sure that buyers know how much they can spend and have had a thorough financial review.
Take the time to get ready now, whether you plan to sell next month or next spring. Put your papers in order. Fix any obvious problems with the property. Talk to real estate agents and choose one who has had success in your area. And make sure your expectations about the timeline are realistic based on the state of your property.
Yes, but keep in mind that 30 days usually only gets you partway through the process. If you have a cash buyer and don't do much research, you could close in 30 days after you accept the offer. But that time frame starts when the buyer signs the contract, not when you first decide to sell. For most traditional sales, 60 days is the absolute fastest realistic timeline when you take into account time for preparation, listing, and marketing. The fastest sale I was part of recently took 38 days total. This was because the buyer was already preapproved, didn't need an inspection, and really wanted to move because of a job change.
Based on hundreds of transactions in different states, the most common things that slow down the process are buyers having trouble getting financing, negotiations over inspections that take too long, title problems that come up too late, and sellers having unrealistic expectations about how much their home is worth. About 8 to 10 percent of contracts that don't go through are because of problems with financing. When sellers are defensive about real problems or buyers nitpick every little thing, negotiations for inspections take longer. Title problems usually take two to four weeks longer to fix when they come up. Overpricing is probably the most common reason homes stay on the market for weeks or months before you finally accept the truth about the market.
ATTOM Data Solutions and NAR's seasonal analysis show that October is usually the slowest month for home sales across the country. From November to February, buyers are usually the least active. That being said, selling during the slow season isn't always a bad idea. You'll have fewer potential buyers, but you'll also have less competition from other sellers. People who shop in December and January are usually serious and want to buy. It's usually best to wait until spring if you can. But if you need to sell right away for personal or financial reasons, listing in slower months is fine as long as you set a fair price and have realistic expectations.
Even if everything goes smoothly, the closing process usually takes at least 30 to 45 days. The main reason for this timeline is that mortgage underwriting requirements can't be rushed. NAR's data from September 2025 says that the average time from when an offer is accepted to when the deal closes is about 35 days. During this time, the buyer's lender must finish underwriting, verify employment and assets, do a title search, and get final approval. The appraisal itself usually takes 7 to 14 days from when you order it to when you get the report. It takes two to three weeks to do title work. So, even if you have a buyer with cash who wants to buy the perfect house, it will take at least 30 days to close.
This choice comes down to a simple calculation of your return on investment, your timeline, and your financial situation. In general, you should fix things if the cost of fixing them is much less than the amount you would lose in sale price if you don't fix them. For instance, if it costs you five thousand dollars to fix your broken HVAC but selling it without it working lowers your price by fifteen thousand dollars, then fixing it makes sense financially. Most of the time, cosmetic changes like new paint and flooring will pay for themselves in full or more. If repairs would cost more than 10 to 15 percent of your home's value or if you're short on time, the as-is approach is best. Compared to other updated homes, you will usually lower your price by 15 to 25 percent. However, you won't have to pay for repairs or manage contractors.
Of course. Most of the time, single-family homes sell in about 51 days, which is the national median. Condos and townhouses usually take 15 to 25 percent longer because of extra problems with HOA rules and financing limits. Some mortgage programs have strict rules about how many people must live in a condo building, which can make it very hard to find buyers. Luxury homes that cost more than $750,000 usually take longer to sell because there are fewer qualified buyers. Even in strong markets, this price range usually takes 90 to 120 days. Properties in rural areas with more land often take the longest to sell, sometimes 120 to 180 days or more.
Once you've signed a contract, the best way to speed up closing is to keep up with all the paperwork and respond right away to any requests. Make a special folder for all the papers you might need, like the property deed, survey, tax statements, HOA papers, warranty information, and records of improvements. If a title company or lender asks for information, try to give it to them the same day. Don't wait; schedule your home inspection right away. Be open to letting appraisers and inspectors in at different times. If you need to make repairs according to the inspection agreement, hire licensed contractors who can get the job done quickly. Talk to your agent on a regular basis so you know what's going on at every step.
If a buyer's financing falls through, your contract usually ends and you can start listing again. Around 8 to 10 percent of transactions have this happen. The effect depends on how far along you were in the contract when the financing failed. If financing fails early, you might only lose two to three weeks. If it happens late, you could lose 30 to 45 days of time on the market. To stay safe, ask for proof of preapproval, keep backup offers during the option period, and make sure buyers are fully preapproved, not just prequalified. When buyers work with trustworthy lenders who do a full underwriting review up front, the number of financing failures goes way down.
This depends on your situation and whether you can afford to wait. In most markets, the spring selling season sees 15 to 25 percent more buyers than the fall or winter, which usually means faster sales and sometimes slightly higher prices. But there are real costs to waiting as well. You will have to pay your mortgage, property taxes, insurance, and utilities for a few more months. If you wait five months and the carrying costs are $2,000 a month, that's $10,000 in carrying costs. In the meantime, the extra few percentage points you might get in the spring might only add $5,000 to $8,000 to the price of your home. Compare the costs of waiting with the price differences that are likely to happen. The difference is often smaller than sellers think it will be.
From a purely time and price point of view, empty homes often look better and sell faster, but the decision is based on practical and financial factors. Empty homes look better in photos and give you the most options for showings. But if you move out before you sell, you'll have to pay for two homes at once. For most sellers, the best thing to do is to stay put and clean up, depersonalize, and keep the house ready for showings. This means taking down family photos, moving furniture around to make rooms look bigger, and being open to different showing times. The only time this doesn't apply is if your home is very messy or if you have scheduling issues that only allow you to show it for a few hours a week.
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