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One question that many first time home buyers ask is “how long does it take to move into a house after your offer is accepted?” It’s a common question, especially if you haven’t been through the process before.
If you are paying cash, it can be just a few weeks or however long it takes to do the title work and go through the necessary red tape. If you are getting a mortgage then a lot more has to happen in between offer accepted and move-in day.
In my personal experience getting home loans 4 different times, it generally takes 30-45 days after your offer is accepted before you can close on a mortgage, and take possession of a home.
Of course your mileage may vary and there are a lot of factors out of your control. If everything goes fairly smooth on both the buyers and sellers ends then I think it’s a fair estimate.
What happens after an offer is accepted?
After the buyer and seller agree on a price it’s put into writing, earnest money is often put into escrow by the buyer. This is the beginning of the due diligence period when the buyer orders a home inspection and anything else that needs to be scrutinized on the home.
Over the following weeks you’ll be aware of things going on in the background like title search, appraisal, insurance quote, final walk-through, and the closing. Assuming you are getting a 30 year mortgage like most people, there will be someone there every step of the way asking you for documents and statements and to sign things. It’s not the most fun process, but being in your new home is worth it.
What happens after closing?
After closing, the home is legally yours. Sometimes there is language in the contract that lets the seller live in the home for a certain time after closing, but other than that you take the keys right then.
But there is no more paperwork or things to sign at this point and the process of closing on a home is over.
What else needs to be done before you can move?
If you have signed the documents and the house is in your possession then you can move in whenever you are ready. In some cases there may be a clause of some type in the sale documents saying the seller needs access to the residence for a number of days after closing. Like they can’t move until the next weekend.
Conclusion
I think the 30-45 day range is a good estimate for how long it takes to move into a house from offer accepted to move in day. This is assuming that there aren’t any hold-ups. If it’s a cash offer then obviously the deal can go through much quicker. Mortgage underwriters often slow down the transaction more than anything.
