How long does it take to buy a house in London, Ontario?
For most London buyers, plan on a few weeks to a few months of searching. Then about 30 to 60 days from an accepted offer to closing day.
You might be worried the right home will come up before you are ready, and someone else gets it. Or that a cost you didn’t plan for shows up at the end. Getting ready before you shop handles most of the first. This page names the costs to plan for.
The call is 15 minutes, with no obligation.
The Bottom Line (Quick Answer)
- Buying a house in London, Ontario, with the Ken Small Real Estate Team? Plan for a few days to get pre-approved.
- Then a few weeks to a few months to find the home.
- From an accepted offer, closing is about 30 to 60 days.
The short version
- Pre-approval: a few days, once your papers are ready.
- Searching: a few weeks to a few months. This is the part that varies.
- Accepted offer to keys: about 30 to 60 days. The closing date is set in your offer.
- Your cost with us: a $495 retainer to start. Our 3% is paid from the seller’s side of the deal.
The timeline to buy a house in London, at a glance
| Phase | How long | What speeds it up | What slows it down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-approval | A few days | Income, down payment and credit papers ready | Shopping before you have it |
| Searching | A few weeks to a few months | Knowing which neighbourhoods fit | Changing what you want every week |
| Offer to accepted | Hours to days | An offer built on recent sales | A busy home: you may write more than one offer |
| Conditions | Commonly a few business days | Inspector and lender booked early | A financing or inspection issue |
| Accepted offer to closing | About 30 to 60 days | A date that suits both sides | New builds and special cases can run longer |
| Total | A few weeks to a few months, plus 30 to 60 days to close |
The timeline, phase by phase
- Pre-approval: a few days
Gather your income, down payment and credit papers. Then get a real pre-approval from a lender or broker. Do this first. It sets your true budget and makes your offers credible. Shopping without it is a common delay. How to get pre-approved.
- Searching: a few weeks to a few months
This is the part that stretches. A buyer who knows the neighbourhoods decides sooner. An unsure one can look for months.
We look past Realtor.ca too, through our off-market and coming-soon network. And we tell you plainly when a home is wrong, so you don’t tour places that were never right.
- Offer to accepted: hours to days
Writing a strong offer takes hours. The back-and-forth depends on the home. On a busy home, you may write more than one offer before you win.
Before you offer, we build your Offer Confidence Brief: recent sales, the home’s condition and your walk-away line. How we check a home before you offer.
- Accepted offer to closing: about 30 to 60 days
This window covers your conditions, like financing and inspection. It also covers your lawyer’s work and the lender’s final steps. Shorter closings happen. Longer ones suit new builds or special cases.
- Closing day: keys
Funds move, the deal registers, and the home is yours. Your lawyer tells you when to pick up the keys.
What speeds up buying a house in London?
Being pre-approved before you shop. Knowing which neighbourhoods fit before you tour. Deciding when the right home appears. And keeping your finances still, so the lender has nothing new to check.
What slows down buying a house in London?
Shopping without pre-approval. Changing what you want every week. Waiting on the right home until it is gone. Taking on new debt mid-search. Or a financing or inspection issue that needs sorting. Most of these can be avoided with prep.
Is it a good time to buy a house in London, Ontario?
That depends on you more than the market. Your budget, how long you will stay, and whether the right home is for sale.
Here is what the market says right now. In September 2026, London had 5.7 months of inventory. The average price was $591,927. The change from a year earlier: -3.8%.
Source: LSTAR Residential Market Activity Report, September 2026.
What this means for you: months of inventory is a measure of pace. It shows how long today’s homes for sale would take to sell at this month’s rate. More months means more homes to choose from. It does not make every home a good buy. The London average also hides big differences. Two homes a kilometre apart can sit in different markets, so your own price range is the number that matters.
We give you the local numbers. We tell you when waiting is the smarter move, even when it costs us the deal. Then you decide. See the London market report.
How much does it cost to buy a house in London with us?
With us, you pay a $495 retainer to start. Our 3% commission is paid from the seller’s side of the deal.
What you pay us, in plain numbers
- $495 retainer to start. It pays for work that starts on day one: the off-market search, the price research and your Offer Confidence Brief.
- 3% commission, paid from the seller’s side of the deal.
- If a seller offers less than 3%, you do not pay the difference. Before you write an offer, we tell you that seller’s number.
Then come the usual closing costs: land transfer tax, your lawyer, title insurance and an inspection. First-time buyers can get up to $4,000 of the Ontario land transfer tax back. Source: Ontario.ca (opens in a new tab).
See what it costs to buy a house in London, or try the Buyer Closing-Cost Calculator.
Buying and selling at the same time?
Then your move has two clocks. Read how long it takes to sell a house in London. And see how to buy your next home before you sell yours.
What protection runs after closing?
What every home you buy with us comes with
The timeline does not end at closing. Two protections run after it.
- A 1-Year Canadian Home Shield SafeClose™ Warranty. Up to $15,000 of protection, with a $100 deductible. Our team pays for it. It starts the day you take possession.
- Love Your New Home Guaranteed or I’ll Sell It For Free. If the home isn’t right within 24 months, we list it at 0% listing-side commission. That applies when you buy your next home through the Ken Small Team, one of equal or greater value. The guarantee covers the listing-side commission only. You remain responsible for the buyer’s agency fee. Your certificate is handed to you at possession.
Both apply to any home you buy through our team, not just homes we list. See every guarantee and condition →
Who this is not for
If you want an agent who opens doors and stays quiet, we are probably not your team. We push back on a bad house. We run the numbers out loud. And we will talk you out of a home that is wrong for you.
If you need keys in two weeks, no one can promise that. Closing runs on dates both sides agree to.
What London buyers say about working with us
★★★★★All the way from the start of the house search, Ken was there to help at every step. From setting up search criteria that exactly met our needs, to getting viewings scheduled, to providing honest feedback about the properties (which is often rare for most agents); Ken went above and beyond our expectations. 10/10 experience with Ken.
J H · Buyer · Apr 2023 · via Google
All testimonials and Google reviews are verified, unedited statements from actual past clients of the Ken Small Team.
4.9 average from 14 Google reviews, as shown on our reviews page (October 2026). Read every review →
The honest takeaway
What this means for you: the search is the only part with no set length. Everything after an accepted offer runs on dates you agree to.
Common questions about buying timelines in London
How long does it take to buy a house in London, Ontario?
How long from accepted offer to closing?
How long does mortgage pre-approval take?
Can I buy a house faster if I’m prepared?
What’s the most common cause of delay?
Is it a good time to buy a house in London, Ontario?
How much does it cost to buy a house with the Ken Small Team?
Ready to start? Book a 15-minute call with Ken.
We map your timeline, from pre-approval to keys, around your situation. No obligation. You can fire us any time before you make an offer, with no penalty. Only the $495 retainer stays with us.
About Ken Small
Ken Small, REALTOR®, has been a real estate agent in London since 2003. He leads the Ken Small Real Estate Team at Century 21 First Canadian Corp., Brokerage. The office is at 420 York Street, London, ON N6B 1R1. RECO #4727293. Meet the team →