How Long Does It Take to Buy a Home?A practical, no-fluff guide for buyers in Des Moines and central IowaOne of the most common questions first-time homebuyers ask is: "How long is this actually
What is the typical timeframe when buying a home?
Dated: June 10 2026
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How Long Does It Take to Buy a Home?
A practical, no-fluff guide for buyers in Des Moines and central Iowa
One of the most common questions first-time homebuyers ask is: "How long is this actually going to take?" It's a fair question. Between the horror stories (six months of heartbreak and lost offers) and the Instagram reels where someone moves in three weeks after deciding to buy — the range is all over the place.
Here's the honest answer: for most buyers in the Des Moines area, the home buying timeline runs somewhere between 60 and 90 days from your first serious step to closing day. Sometimes faster. Sometimes a little longer. It depends on your situation, the market, and — spoiler — who's in your corner.
Let's break it down stage by stage so you know what to expect.
The Home Buying Timeline: Stage by Stage
Step 1: Get Pre-Approved (1–5 Business Days)
Before you fall in love with a kitchen, get your finances sorted. Pre-approval tells you what you can actually afford — and more importantly, it tells sellers you're a real buyer, not just someone browsing Zillow at midnight.
In a competitive market like Des Moines, showing up without a pre-approval letter is a little like showing up to a job interview without a resume. You can do it, but it's not going to go well.
What you'll need: proof of income, bank statements, tax returns, and a credit check. Most lenders can turn this around in a few business days. A few things that slow it down: self-employment income, recent job changes, or needing to address something on your credit report. If any of those apply to you, start the pre-approval process before you do anything else.
Tip: If your credit needs some work before you qualify, that's okay. We partner with lenders who specialize in exactly that — and rental assistance is available while you get there. No dead ends here.
Step 2: House Hunting (2–8 Weeks)
This is the fun part. It's also the part where people underestimate how much time it can take.
In today's Des Moines metro market, first-time homebuyers should budget two to six weeks of active searching, sometimes more depending on how specific your criteria are. Inventory moves fast in markets like Ankeny and West Des Moines. If you're flexible on neighborhoods or price point, you'll typically find something sooner. If you're hunting for a very specific property type in a specific area, plan for a longer runway.
Working with an experienced local agent who uses AI-powered search tools changes this equation. Instead of scrolling through outdated listings or relying on portal algorithms that don't know your market, you get real-time, filtered results that match your actual criteria — not a rough approximation of them.
That said, no tool replaces knowing the neighborhoods. There's a reason agents who've spent 20 years in a market can tell you things about a street, a school district, or a subdivision that no app can surface.
Step 3: Making an Offer (1–3 Days)
When the right house shows up, you need to move. In competitive areas of the Des Moines metro, good properties don't sit around waiting for you to think it over for a week.
Once you've identified a home you want to pursue, your agent will pull comparable sales, assess the home's value relative to asking price, and help you put together an offer that's competitive without being reckless. The negotiation part — counteroffers, escalation clauses, inspection contingencies — all gets handled here.
This stage typically takes one to three days. What slows it down: indecision, not having pre-approval already in hand, or not having an agent who moves quickly. What speeds it up: being ready, knowing your numbers, and trusting the process.
Step 4: Inspection and Due Diligence (7–14 Days)
Once your offer is accepted, you're not done. You're under contract — which is different from closed.
The inspection period typically runs seven to ten days. Your inspector will go through the property top to bottom. In Iowa, common items that come up include roofing, HVAC, foundation, and plumbing — and knowing how to read an inspection report (and which items are deal-breakers vs. normal wear) matters.
Here's where having an agent with construction knowledge is worth its weight. Not every inspection finding is a red flag. Some are leverage for renegotiation. Some are genuinely nothing. And some are the kind of thing you walk away from. Knowing the difference comes from experience — not from panicking at a 14-page report that lists every nail hole in the drywall.
Appraisal typically happens during this window too, ordered by your lender. Budget 7–10 business days for the report to come back.
Step 5: Final Loan Processing and Closing (2–4 Weeks)
Your lender will spend the next few weeks doing their underwriting — verifying your employment, assets, and the property itself. This is where you'll get a Closing Disclosure outlining your final numbers, and where "clear to close" becomes the best phrase in the English language.
Don't make any major financial moves during this period. No new credit cards. No large purchases. No new car. Lenders are watching your financial picture right up until the day you sign.
Closing day itself is usually about an hour of signing paperwork. Then you get the keys. Then you stand in an empty house and think about all the furniture you now need to buy.
So What's the Real Timeline?
Here's a rough summary for a typical buyer in the Des Moines metro area:
Stage | Timeline |
Pre-approval | 1–5 business days |
House hunting | 2–8 weeks |
Offer and negotiation | 1–3 days |
Inspection and appraisal | 7–14 days |
Loan processing and closing | 2–4 weeks |
Total | ~60–90 days |
Some buyers close faster — especially if inventory lines up early and financing is straightforward. Some take longer — especially if they're searching for something specific or navigating credit and financing hurdles. Either way, knowing the stages helps you stay calm when things feel slow. It's not stalling. It's just the process.
Does It Move Faster With a Local Agent?
Short answer: yes.
A longer answer: it depends on whether your agent actually knows the market, responds quickly, and has the professional relationships to keep things moving. Not every agent is the same.
Working with an experienced local agent in central Iowa means you're not wasting time on homes that don't fit, you're not making offers on overpriced listings, and when things come up during inspection or underwriting, there's someone in your corner who knows what to do and who to call.
At the Marshall Team, our average time from first contact to closing runs right around 90 days for most buyers. Some close faster. Some take a bit longer depending on their situation. But the goal is always the same: get you into the right home, with as few surprises as possible, and a process that doesn't feel like a second job.
Ready to Start Your Home Buying Timeline?
Whether you're six months out from being ready or want to move next month, the best first step is the same: have a conversation.
We work with first-time buyers, move-up buyers, and investors throughout the Des Moines metro — Ankeny, Altoona, West Des Moines, and everywhere in between. We'll tell you exactly where you stand, what your timeline looks like, and what you need to do to get there.
Reach out to the Marshall Team today and let's map out your path to the closing table.
Justin Marshall is a licensed broker in Iowa with 20 years of experience in real estate sales, investing, and property management. He leads the Marshall Team at RE/MAX Results, serving buyers, sellers, and investors throughout the Des Moines metro area.
Justin Marshall
Justin has been in the housing industry for over 20 years. Growing up as a builders son Justin's skill set and knowledge of a property is extensive. Justin attended Iowa State University for Construct....
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DMAAR: Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS® All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumer's personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers
