How long does it take to sell a house?
There is no set length of time for every home sale. Plan the individual steps and distinguish between marketing and legal conclusion.
Plan your sale backwards from your target date
This is an example plan based on your assumptions, not market statistics or a promised sale duration. Agree deadlines and dates with everyone involved.
Allow extra time for documents, representation and handover when moving or selling remotely. Your inputs are not sent from this planner.
Four phases instead of a supposedly safe number of months
Preparation, marketing, conclusion of the contract and handover are different stages. Missing documents can cost time even before the first advertisement. Viewings and negotiations then depend on price, location, condition and demand. A period from a single experience report is therefore not a reliable forecast for your house.
Preparation: Documents first
Collect land register information, area information, plans and the energy certificate if necessary. In the case of a condominium, the documents from the homeowners association are also included. Clarify early on what burdens exist and who has to make decisions. The overview in the Selling House Guide supplements this checklist with the process and costs.
Marketing and financing
Set the asking price in a comprehensible manner and check the feedback from interested parties. Few qualified inquiries can have various reasons; this does not automatically result in a necessary price reduction. Before making any binding plans, check the buyer's financing. Reservation or verbal agreement does not replace a valid purchase contract.
Notary, payment and handover
A property purchase agreement must be notarised. The contract sets the conditions for payment and handover. Allow time for completion and financing, and arrange key handover according to the actual agreement. We do not present a general timetable as a legal deadline.
Why ad duration is not a sales duration
Our market observation covers publicly visible offers. First observation may occur after marketing actually begins; a listing’s disappearance may indicate a sale, withdrawal or a new listing. Ongoing offers have not concluded. We therefore do not treat observed listing duration (days on market) as a median of actual house-sale times. Planning also requires the start, agreement and completion dates of your specific sale.
Related tools and background information
Data sources
Official source · Our own calculation · Our own analysis · DDORF estimate → Methodology
- Official sourceBGB: notarielle FormBasis of the editorial explanationView source(opens new window)
- Our own analysisOur own analysisLimits of the observed advertisement durationView source