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\n <\/div>\n \n Find a top real estate agent near you<\/h3>\n
We analyze over 27 million transactions and thousands of reviews to determine which agent is best for you based on your needs. It takes just two minutes to match you with the best real estate agents, who will contact you and guide you through the process.<\/p>\n \n
Let\u2019s help you set some expectations.<\/p>\n
Short answer: One to three days<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s unlikely your phone will ring that night. A one-to-three-day wait is pretty standard<\/a>.<\/p>\n Chris Creegan<\/a> is an experienced agent in Orlando<\/a>, Florida, who works with 66% more single-family homes than other agents in his area. He says that in a hot housing market, \u201cSellers are really trying to hold out for multiple offers and to use that to bid against each other.\u201d This means it could take a few days to hear anything.<\/p>\n Some states will ask sellers to reply within a certain amount of time after receiving the offer, or your agent can write a \u201creply by\u201d date into the offer. One reason for this is because while you\u2019ve got an offer out on a house, it\u2019s not a good idea to make an offer on another property. If sellers take days to weeks to reply, you could miss out on other possible homes!<\/p>\n In some states an offer expiry is standard, and you can also add an expiration date to your offer to try to nudge the seller to respond. Creegan advises his buyers to not get involved in a long wait period, as often the sellers are just using his buyer\u2019s offer to push the overall home price higher.<\/p>\n The seller will either accept your offer (you win!), make a counter-offer (asking for a higher price, different dates on the closing timeline, or different terms or conditions, perhaps), or reject your offer \u2014 you will have to start over and make an entirely new offer if you still want this house.<\/p>\n You might not hear back at all, that said! Sellers don\u2019t have an obligation to respond to your offer, though it is the polite thing to do.<\/p>\n