{"id":25993,"date":"2021-07-31T07:41:57","date_gmt":"2021-07-31T14:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=25993"},"modified":"2025-11-26T08:59:30","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T16:59:30","slug":"how-long-does-a-seller-have-to-respond-to-an-offer-on-a-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/how-long-does-a-seller-have-to-respond-to-an-offer-on-a-house\/","title":{"rendered":"An Offer Comes in on Your Home: How Long Do You Have to Respond?"},"content":{"rendered":"

You\u2019ve received an offer (maybe several<\/a>) on your home and a big decision awaits. With so much money on the line, you need to give careful consideration to your next move, whether it be rejecting the offer, making a counteroffer, or signing the agreement. While you don\u2019t want to give away the farm, it\u2019d also be a shame to let an amazing offer slip by.<\/p>\n

So how long does a seller have to respond to an offer on a house<\/a> \u2014 and what if you need more time? The short answer is you\u2019ll usually have a window between 24 and 72 hours<\/b> to get back to the buyer before an offer expires. But let\u2019s take a look at the factors that determine the amount of time a seller has to respond to an offer, and a few key considerations that can offer clarity as to the right path forward.<\/p>\n

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Step one: Talk to an expert!<\/h3>\n

Selling your house soon? Connect with a top agent near you to get an expert opinion on how much your house will sell for, what to fix before listing, and the latest local housing market trends.<\/p>\n \n

\n Learn More<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
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<\/a> Source: (Charisse Kenion \/ Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Look for an expiration date<\/h2>\n

In many states, the residential purchase agreement has a blank spot for the buyer to insert their own expiration date on the offer. \u201cIn Florida, the buyer sets the deadline on an offer with an offer expiration date,\u201d explains Patty Da Silva<\/a>, a top real estate agent in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. \u201cSometimes the buyer\u2019s agent sends an offer without an expiration date, but most commonly they give the seller 24 or 48 hours to respond.\u201d<\/p>\n

Check the contract for your state<\/h2>\n

While some states allow the buyer to set the offer expiration date within their offer, others have residential purchase agreements with built-in language that gives the seller a deadline. For example, the standard California residential purchase agreement<\/a> states that the offer \u201cshall be deemed revoked and the deposit, if any, shall be returned to Buyer\u201d if the seller fails to accept the offer by 5 p.m. on the third day<\/a> after the buyer signed the offer.<\/p>\n

However, in some areas of California, residential purchase agreements may be written to extend that expiration date, in some cases up to 60 days<\/a>. Your real estate agent is your best resource to discover if your state has rules or the offer contract has language that puts a clock on how long you have to respond.<\/p>\n

Know the etiquette<\/h2>\n

Sellers are under no obligation to respond to offers<\/a> that they receive. However, your agent may encourage you to respond to all offers promptly out of courtesy to prospective buyers. While not legally required, it\u2019s often expected that sellers will provide a response within 24 hours to three days to interested buyers to let them know where they stand.<\/p>\n

Hesitate at your own risk<\/h2>\n

Let\u2019s say you\u2019ve received a great offer on your house, but you\u2019re hoping that a hot market will net you an even better one. So, you wait out the expiration date on the offer in hand, but no better offer comes in. Should you miss the expiration deadline, you can go back to that buyer and ask that they honor the terms of their original offer. They might agree, but they don\u2019t have to, and your hesitancy could raise red flags.<\/p>\n

\u201cSellers who take too long deciding on whether or not to accept a great offer run the risk that the buyer will get turned off and walk away \u2014 because a buyer who\u2019s serious and makes an incredible offer upfront will start to feel like the seller is being greedy or unreasonable,\u201d warns Da Silva.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor example, I had a listing where we had 16 offers come in, and two of them were cash offers for $10,000 above asking. But my sellers tried to play games with them both to get an even better offer and both cash offers walked. So we had to go to the third best offer to see if they were interested in increasing their offer, but at that point it had been five days, so they knew my client must have played games and lost with other offers. We wound up selling it to that third buyer at asking price.\u201d<\/p>\n

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<\/a> Source: (Ana Bernardo \/ Unsplash)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Accept, reject, or make a counteroffer<\/h2>\n

When an offer comes in, you can respond in one of three main ways:<\/p>\n

Accept the offer without any changes:<\/h4>\n

Should you receive a spectacular offer that gives you the price and contract terms of your dreams, it could be worth signing on the spot.<\/p>\n

Send over a counteroffer:<\/h4>\n

Some offers may be close to what you were looking for while still containing a few deal breakers on your end. A counteroffer lets you adjust the terms and\/or offer price to meet your needs while keeping the conversation going. The ball is then in the buyer\u2019s court to accept or reject your counteroffer by your expiration date.<\/p>\n

Reject the buyer\u2019s offer in writing:<\/h4>\n

\u201cIn a seller\u2019s market, it\u2019s not uncommon for us to receive 15 to 20 offers, but really only 3 or 4 are viable,\u201d explains Da Silva. \u201cOur office is unique in that every offer is going to get a response, even if that response is, \u2018No thank you.\u2019 It\u2019s just good business to reject offers in a timely manner so that those buyers can move on to another property.\u201d<\/p>\n

On one hand, rejecting an offer in writing is the polite thing to do. On the other hand, should you reject an offer in writing, that buyer will likely move on to another property. This makes it more difficult to extend that buyer a counteroffer should your original accepted offer fall through.<\/p>\n

Ignore the offer:<\/h4>\n

Some agents send out a \u201cno thank you\u201d in response as a way to politely reject offers while letting buyers know where they stand. However, in a bidding war situation, you also may opt to strategically \u201cignore\u201d your backup offers for a short time until you are under contract on your preferred accepted offer.<\/p>\n

Recognize when you need more time<\/h2>\n

There are a number of valid reasons why you might need more time than the buyer initially provides with their offer expiration date:<\/p>\n