How Long Does Buying a Home Take? | Journey Home Lending

Have you ever sat with your loved ones and made a spur-of-the-moment decision to go out and buy something huge? Maybe it was a new family pet or a piece of furniture. Whatever it was, you didn’t overthink it—you just went and got it.

We love the thrill of instant gratification. Even if you are a planner by nature, you have to admit that adding something shiny and new to your life on a whim can feel pretty good.

Buying a home should certainly come with a lot of those same feelings, although it is far from an “instant gratification” process. There is a lot that goes into making a long-term purchase like a home. So, how long does it take to go from dreaming about it moving in?

The Dreaming Phase

There isn’t really a concrete answer to the question of how long the home-buying process can take. Everyone’s journey will be a little bit different, which means timelines will be a little bit different.

It may be helpful to break the process down into different phases. This not only will help keep you moving on a steady track toward your dream home, but it can also help ease your stress as you walk through the process.

Take the first part of your process as a time to dream. Sketch out your dream floor plan with your family, and talk about your dream neighborhood or piece of land.

Allow a little bit of freedom here as you start to picture your home, but take some actionable steps so that you can start making those dreams a reality. Check your credit score to get an idea of what you can financially take on. If your score is lower than you want it to be, make some changes to improve it while you continue to dream about a new home.

Start working on paying down your debts while you are in the dreaming phase as well, and avoid making any large purchases. Once your finances are in a place you are comfortable with, start seeking pre-approval with a mortgage lender. With pre-approval, you can start viewing homes and moving toward the next phase of the process.

The Reality Phase

It’s important to hold onto the dreams you started with as you begin viewing homes and getting deeper into the process. Seeing multiple locations and hearing endless stats about square footage, school districts and yard regulations can make you feel pretty bogged down pretty quickly. Keep in mind the visions you and your family dreamed up so the process will feel a little less like work and a lot more enjoyable.

For many, house hunting can be the longest part of the home-buying process. Once you do find your dream home, don’t hesitate to make an offer.

While holding on to your dreams is important, now it is time to dig your heels in and face the reality of the paperwork process. If your offer is accepted, the mortgage and closing process can take several months to complete. The sooner you can get started, the sooner you will be in your new home.

Even though home-buying may not fall into the instant gratification category of life, when you break it down into phases, you can move through the process pretty quickly—then you can get back to making spur-of-the-moment decisions. After all, every new home needs a new dog, doesn’t it?

Ready to start your home-buying journey? Contact us, and we will get you in your dream home quickly.