How Long Does It Take to Buy a House, From the First Call to the Keys?

1. The first meeting.
2. Gathering your paperwork and starting with the lender.
3. The lender's answer (the preapproval).
4. The home search.
5. The offer and the negotiation.
6. The time under contract: inspection, appraisal, title and the loan.
7. Closing and the keys.

Here is what happens in each one, and what makes it run long or short.

The first meeting with me runs about half an hour, and it almost always goes longer because questions come up, which is fine. I explain the whole process, start to finish, so nothing catches you off guard. If you want to keep going, I give you the list of every document you will need.

You do not leave that meeting with a house. You leave knowing what happens next.

At the next meeting you bring your paperwork and the process with the lender begins. A preapproval is the lender's letter saying, after reviewing your income, your credit and your documents, how much they could lend you and on what conditions.

How long it takes depends a lot on you: how many days it takes to gather pay stubs, bank statements and tax returns, and whether the lender asks for anything else after the first review. A complete file moves faster than one that arrives in pieces. I walk with you through this step from start to finish, but the lender is the one who decides.

Until the lender answers, we do not go look at houses. That is not red tape. It keeps you from falling for a house that is outside your number.

This is the stretch that varies the most from one family to the next, and nobody can give you an honest date for it. It depends on what you want, the area, your budget and what is for sale that season.

What does keep it from dragging on:

• Knowing what is a must and what is a nice-to-have. Three bedrooms might be a must. A remodeled kitchen, maybe not.
• Touring with a plan. Not every house that pops up, only the ones that meet the musts.
• Checking what the photos do not show before you offer. For example, what insurance will cost on that house is worth knowing before you fall in love with it.

Now there is a clock. Once the seller accepts your offer and both sides sign, the contract sets the closing date and the deadline for each step. Here is what happens during that time:

• Earnest money. This is a deposit that shows you are serious about the purchase. It goes straight to the title company, never to me or to any agent.
• The option period. A few days, negotiated in the contract, when you can have the home inspected and ask for repairs. Inside that window you can walk away without a penalty. After it, you cannot. I usually ask for 5 to 7 days.
• The inspection. An inspector goes through the house and gives you a report. We use that report to decide what to ask the seller for.
• The financing period. The time the contract gives your loan to get approved. It is commonly 18 to 21 days.
• The appraisal. The lender sends someone to estimate the home's value, to confirm the price makes sense.
• Title. The title company checks that the house has no debts or problems in its ownership history, and it holds the money while the sale closes (that is what people mean by escrow).
• The final walkthrough. Before you sign, we go back to the house to make sure it is in the condition everyone agreed to.

It is almost never just one thing. What I see most:

• Paperwork that arrives late or incomplete. The lender asks for something and it takes a week to show up.
• Changes to your credit mid-purchase. Opening a new card or buying a car before closing can stall the loan. More in the 7 mistakes that cost buyers the most in DFW.
• Repair negotiations that drag on. An inspection with a long list can stretch out the conversation with the seller.
• An appraisal that comes in below the price. A decision has to be made, and that takes a few days.

Most of this can be avoided by getting ready before you start.

A couple calls me because their lease ends in a few months and they want to know if there is enough time. I explain that the clock does not start the day they see the first house. It starts the day their paperwork is complete with the lender.

What we do: we start with the paperwork, not the houses. With the preapproval in hand, the search has a clear number, and when they find the house there is no time lost. We choose the closing date in the offer with the end of their lease in mind.

Can I start looking at houses while I gather my paperwork?

Browsing online to get a feel, yes. Touring in person, better after the preapproval, so your offer is ready the day you find the right one.

Can we close faster?

Sometimes, if your paperwork is complete and the seller agrees to the date. But the contract sets the date, not the rush.

What if my lease ends before we close?

We talk about it from the start and choose the closing date around your lease, not the other way around.

What if I am planning a year out?

Good. There is real work you can do now. Read moving in 2027? The work starts this year.

The longest part is almost never the contract. It is what comes before it: gathering your paperwork and finding the house. Start there, and the rest has clear dates and you always know what comes next.

Want to know how long it would take you?

Tell me when you would like to be in your home and which part of Dallas-Fort Worth you are looking in, and I will tell you which steps come first and in what order. No commitment, nothing to sign.

I'm Veronica Yeary, a real estate agent in Dallas-Fort Worth, CRS®, ABR®, SRS® and CIPS. I walk with you from the first meeting to the day you get the keys, and after that too.

Call or text me at 469-441-8890, or email veronica@veronicayeary.com.

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