Can we talk about something I hear almost every week?
A seller calls me ten days after listing, worried because there are no offers yet. Did we price it wrong? Should we drop it? Is something wrong with the house?
Usually, nothing is wrong. The house is just being a house in a normal market. But I get why it feels that way, because a few years ago, ten days without an offer really did mean something was off.
That market is gone. A lot of our expectations never got the memo.
A Quick Look Back at 2021
If you bought or sold between 2020 and early 2022, you remember. In January 2021, the average 30-year mortgage rate hit 2.65%, the lowest Freddie Mac has ever recorded. Everyone seemed to want more space, a home office, and a yard. There weren't nearly enough houses to go around.
By May 2021, homes were selling in about 17 days on average, according to the National Association of Realtors. The year before, it was 26.
Buyers waived inspections on century-old homes. Offers came in tens of thousands over asking. People wrote letters to sellers about the life they hoped to build in the house. It was wild.
Because it lasted a couple of years, it started to feel like the way real estate works. It isn't. It was the exception.
What It Did to Sellers
Sellers learned that a good listing sells in a weekend, and that if it doesn't, someone must have made a mistake.
I don't blame anyone for thinking that. Your neighbor sold in three days with six offers. Your cousin sold well over asking. Why wouldn't yours do the same?
The problem is that a lot of homes are now priced based on those memories rather than on today's market. Then the first two weeks are quiet, the seller gets nervous, and the agent gets blamed for a market neither of them controls.
A quick sale was never the real measure of a well-prepared seller or a good agent. It just looked that way for a while.
What It Did to Buyers
Buyers learned the opposite lesson, and many of them have every right to feel a little bitter.
They lost house after house. They gave up inspections they should never have had to give up. Some of them overpaid and knew it while they were signing.
Now that the market has cooled a bit, some buyers are swinging hard in the other direction. They expect the seller to cover closing costs, fix everything on the inspection report, and take a low offer because it's not 2021 anymore.
I understand that, but walking in with that mindset can cost you a house you really love.
Where That Leaves Us
Somewhere in the middle, a lot of deals get stuck. The seller wants a 2021 price, and the buyer wants a deep discount. Both are frustrated, and the house sits.
Buying and selling a home was always supposed to be a negotiation between two people who both want it to work. Lately, it can feel more like a standoff. That's the part I'd love to see change.
How Long Does It Actually Take to Sell a House?
This is the part I wish every seller knew before they listed.
There are really two timelines. The first is how long it takes to get an accepted offer, when your home goes pending. The second is how long it takes to close after that.
Listing to pending: In September 2026, homes in Greater Grand Rapids averaged 28 days on the market. Kent County averaged 26 days, and Ottawa County averaged 36. If your home goes under contract within three to five weeks, you're right on track.
Pending to closed: After you accept an offer, you still have inspections, the appraisal, loan approval, and title work. For most financed buyers, that takes roughly 30 to 45 days, and some loan types take a little longer. Even in the middle of the frenzy, purchase loans took about 51 days on average to close in June 2021, according to ICE Mortgage Technology.
When you add those together, two to three months from the day the sign goes in the yard to the day you hand over the keys is normal. It isn't slow, and it isn't a red flag.
What I'd Tell You If You're Selling
Price it for the market we have now. Buyers are doing the payment math on every house they walk through, and a realistic price brings in the people who are ready to write an offer.
Then give it some time. Pay attention to the showings and the feedback, and if something needs to change, change it on purpose instead of in a panic.
Try to measure success by how the sale goes, not just by how fast it happens. A fair price, a deal that holds together, and a closing date that works for your next move add up to a win, whether it took four days or forty.
What I'd Tell You If You're Buying
You really do have more breathing room than you did a few years ago. Get the inspection. Take a second look. Ask for what matters to you.
Just remember that more room to negotiate isn't the same as a buyer's market. In Greater Grand Rapids, inventory is still under three months of supply, which leans toward sellers. Well-priced homes still move.
A fair offer from a buyer who's clearly serious goes a long way with sellers. Sometimes it matters more than squeezing out the last few thousand dollars.
Final Thought
The 2021 market was a moment, not a measuring stick.
A house that takes a few weeks to find its buyer is fine. A negotiation where both sides give a little is how it's supposed to work. A closing that takes another month or so is just part of the process.
Once we let go of the frenzy, buying and selling get a lot less stressful for everyone.
If you're thinking about a move and want a straight answer about what to expect right now, let’s connect! I'm always happy to talk it through.
