Most buyers in London, Ontario can expect the full process — from getting pre-approved to picking up the keys — to take somewhere between 8 and 16 weeks. That range moves a lot depending on how fast you find the right house and how far out you negotiate your closing date, so here's what actually happens at each stage and where the time really goes.

Eric Cassidy

London Ontario Real Estate Agent, Cassidy & Co.

August 2026 7 min read

What's the Realistic Timeline to Buy a Home in London Ontario?

Start to finish, most London Ontario buyers are looking at 2 to 4 months: roughly 1–2 weeks to get pre-approved, 4–10 weeks of active house hunting depending on market conditions, about a week to firm up an accepted offer, and then a 30–60 day closing period once the deal is firm. Cash buyers or people relocating on a tight deadline can move faster; buyers with more flexibility often take longer by choice, not necessity.

The one variable almost nobody accounts for going in is the search itself — how long it takes to find a house worth making an offer on can range from a single weekend to several months, and it's driven entirely by how competitive the specific price range and neighbourhood are, not by anything you can control on a schedule.

Step 1: Mortgage Pre-Approval (1–2 Weeks)

Pre-approval is the first real step, and it should happen before you look at a single listing. A lender or mortgage broker will verify your income, credit, and down payment source, then issue a pre-approval letter showing your maximum purchase price and a rate hold, usually for 90–120 days. This normally takes 1–2 weeks if your documents (pay stubs, T4s, bank statements, down payment proof) are ready to go — it can stretch to 3–4 weeks if you're self-employed or your income needs extra verification.

Step 2: House Hunting in London Ontario (Highly Variable)

This is the stage that determines your total timeline more than any other. London's market has been sitting in buyer's-market territory through much of 2026 — months of inventory and days-on-market have both been higher than the tight seller's-market conditions of a few years ago — which generally gives buyers more time and more room to negotiate than a rush-to-offer environment. Even so, well-priced homes in high-demand pockets (Byron, Old North, Stoneybrook-Uplands) still move quickly, sometimes within days.

There's no way to guarantee a timeline here — it comes down to how specific your must-haves are and how much inventory matches them.

Step 3: Making an Offer and Firming Up Conditions

Once you've found the house, the Agreement of Purchase and Sale itself is fast — often signed and countered within a single day. What takes time is the conditional period. A financing condition and a home inspection condition are standard in most London Ontario offers, and 5 business days is the typical window to satisfy both: your lender confirms the mortgage, and your inspector confirms the property. If everything checks out, the deal goes firm and becomes legally binding.

Step 4: What Happens Between a Firm Deal and Closing Day

Once your offer is firm, closing typically happens 30 to 60 days later in Ontario, though it can run as short as a couple of weeks or as long as 90 days depending on what both sides negotiated. During this window your lawyer handles the title search and closing documents, your lender finalizes mortgage paperwork, and you arrange the home inspection follow-ups, insurance, and moving logistics. For a fuller walkthrough of exactly what happens during this stage, see our guide on what happens after your offer is accepted in Ontario.

What Can Speed Up or Slow Down Your Timeline?

A few things reliably add time: needing to sell your current home first (a condition on your offer, which sellers weigh heavily), self-employed or complex income that needs extra lender review, a status certificate review for condos (can add 1–2 weeks on its own), or a competitive listing that draws multiple offers and pushes you into a second or third round of house hunting.

Things that speed it up: being pre-approved before you start looking, having your down payment and documents ready in advance, working with an agent who knows which listings in your price range are actually worth seeing, and being flexible on closing date if the seller needs a specific timeline.

Frequently Asked Questions

Eric Cassidy

London Ontario Real Estate Agent — Cassidy & Co.

Eric Cassidy is a REALTOR® and founder of Cassidy & Co. Real Estate, serving buyers and sellers across London, Ontario. He helps buyers plan realistic timelines from pre-approval through closing day, so there are no surprises along the way. Learn more about Eric and the team.