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How long did you search before finding your house?

real estatehome buyingfirst time home buyer
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Aleksandar_K
Joined:
23.10.2019
Posts: 681
Topic Starter
13.01.2025 08:18
My partner and I have been looking for a place to buy for about six months now, and honestly, I'm starting to get pretty burned out. We've put in three offers so far, but we keep getting outbid by cash buyers or people waiving inspections. I'm wondering if this is just the current market reality or if we are being too picky with our 'must-haves'. How long did it actually take you to find your home, and did you have to compromise on anything big to finally get an offer accepted?
20 replies in this topic
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Oli_L
Joined:
04.11.2020
Posts: 720
21.01.2025 14:31
It took us almost 14 months. It was brutal, but eventually, we found something that didn't require a bidding war.
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Viktoria_S
Joined:
24.12.2019
Posts: 1068
09.02.2025 18:54
In reply to a previous post
Six months is tough but honestly pretty standard in this market. Don't be too hard on yourselves.
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Kaya_J
Joined:
03.09.2021
Posts: 1143
17.02.2025 02:25
We got lucky and found ours after just three weeks of searching. We were prepared to compromise on location, but we ended up getting everything we wanted.
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nov_tuk
Joined:
18.01.2022
Posts: 459
05.03.2025 19:17
In reply to a previous post
Three weeks? That is incredible. I've been looking for a year and still haven't found the one.
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nov_tuk
Joined:
01.11.2020
Posts: 517
26.04.2025 20:38
We had to drop the inspection contingency to get our offer accepted. It was terrifying, but the house turned out to be in great shape.
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otgovor_BG
Joined:
27.09.2023
Posts: 2462
15.05.2025 23:50
In reply to a previous post
I wouldn't recommend waiving inspections if you can help it. That's how you end up with a $50k repair bill a month after moving in.
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damian_varna
Joined:
09.04.2020
Posts: 1823
08.06.2025 11:42
It took us two years and five failed offers. We eventually had to move further out into the suburbs to afford what we wanted.
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Hani_B
Joined:
21.06.2022
Posts: 1497
08.07.2025 05:19
In reply to a previous post
I feel your pain. The 'must-haves' list is usually the first thing that needs to go if you want to close a deal.
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Yulia_M
Joined:
14.05.2020
Posts: 1392
11.07.2025 22:09
We searched for 8 months. The burnout is real, just take a break for a few weeks if you need to reset.
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Ekspert_11
Joined:
19.10.2022
Posts: 2115
25.07.2025 13:55
In reply to a previous post
Good advice. We took a month off last summer and it really helped our mental health.
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Igor_Tech
Joined:
16.03.2023
Posts: 729
17.08.2025 03:44
Found our place in 4 months. We had to compromise on the size of the backyard, but the kitchen was perfect.
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Kaya_J
Joined:
31.08.2021
Posts: 1410
10.10.2025 04:57
In reply to a previous post
Don't compromise on the location! You can change a kitchen, but you can't move the house.
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Alisa_K
Joined:
20.10.2020
Posts: 921
16.12.2025 03:00
We gave up on buying and decided to rent for another year. The market is just too insane right now.
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ObiknovenChovek
Joined:
17.01.2021
Posts: 811
02.01.2026 08:31
In reply to a previous post
Sometimes stepping back is the smartest move. Prices might cool down soon anyway.
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Lori_N
Joined:
21.12.2022
Posts: 1200
16.01.2026 09:07
It took us a year. We kept getting outbid by all-cash investors, so we eventually started looking for 'ugly' houses that were sitting on the market.
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redoven
Joined:
25.10.2021
Posts: 1960
06.02.2026 06:34
In reply to a previous post
That's a great strategy. Looking for houses that need a little love often keeps the investors away.
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Kevi_M
Joined:
29.12.2020
Posts: 281
17.03.2026 02:57
We looked for 10 months. Finally got a place by writing a personal letter to the sellers. It actually worked!
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star_vulk
Joined:
02.07.2021
Posts: 2400
31.03.2026 12:49
In reply to a previous post
That's hit or miss, but I'm glad it worked for you. Some sellers really appreciate the human touch.
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Nadiya_D
Joined:
02.06.2025
Posts: 1096
02.04.2026 09:47
It took us 5 months. We had to increase our budget by 10% to finally get a winning bid.
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Misho_B
Joined:
02.06.2024
Posts: 1952
10.04.2026 07:57
In reply to a previous post
Same here. We had to stretch our budget to the absolute max to compete with the cash buyers.

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