As a real estate agent, I’m generally not high pressure with my clients.
As they’re trying to get a house ready to sell, then life happens and they need more time, I can roll with that.

As I work with individuals who want to buy a home, I can be patient as they look at properties to find the one that’s right for their needs.

But once a purchase and sale agreement is signed and my clients are under contract, I will NOT be laid back. That’s when I’ll double check and ask questions and makes sure things get done because in Georgia, our purchase and sale agreements have this clause in them that says, “time is of the essence.”

Time Is of the Essence = “Legal” Speak

Back when I was taking real estate classes to get my license, one of the things they stressed in training was that when a contract states, “time is of the essence,” that’s not a quaint turn of phrase. It’s a legal reference.

Time references in the contract must be followed.

If the actions connected to those time reference...

The Offer

You have been searching for that perfect home, and it looks like you found it. Now is time to put in your offer. And wait…

How Long Does It Take for an Offer on a House to Be Accepted?

There's a super easy answer to that question, but there are also some nuances to go along with it.

First, what's the simple answer?

On or before the time limit when the offer expires.

Let me elaborate:

Whenever you submit an offer on a house, you put an expiration date and time for that offer. In other words, you give the homeowner a deadline by which they need to make a decision. If the homeowner is interested in your offer, they'll either sign the contract and send it back to you, or they may send you a counteroffer. Either way, they're going to respond to your offer on or before the expiration date and time on your offer.

Now for the Nuanced Answer: It Depends

In actuality, the better answer, like so many things in life, is more nuanced. And in reality, the dependenc...