How long do sellers have to accept an offer? What to expect after you submit

When you submit an offer on a home, waiting for the seller’s response can feel endless. You likely wonder how long you can expect to wait. Sellers have no obligation to respond unless your offer includes an expiration date. Many buyers set a 24 to 72-hour window for a reply, but windows can vary based on local market conditions and contract terms. Your real estate agent can help you choose a deadline that best reflects your specific situation.

If you’re facing silence after making an offer, this article can help explain why that might be. We’ll walk through some of the most common reasons you’re not hearing back after making an offer so you can decide how to move forward.

How long do sellers have to accept an offer?

There is no fixed timeline for sellers to accept your offer unless you set one. The typical response window is often 24 to 72 hours. Things that can slow down an offer acceptance include the seller getting multiple offers, complex purchase terms, and bank-owned, foreclosure, and short sale purchases, where more stakeholders are involved. 

Common reasons a seller is not responding to your offer

There are several reasons why a seller might not respond to an offer to buy their home. While you can’t read a seller’s mind, these are some of the most common reasons you’re not hearing back after making an offer.

1. The offer was too low

One common reason your home offer was rejected is that it simply had a price that was well below expected. You may want to find out if the area where you want to buy is a buyer’s market or a seller’s market because this can shape what kind of offer you want to make.

Given that in hot markets, houses often sell for above asking, anything that comes in below asking may feel like it’s not a serious offer to sellers. As of March 2026, more than one-fourth of all homes sold for above asking.

If you make an offer well below asking, such as 20% or more under list price, the seller may feel you’re trying to lowball them and decide it isn’t worth the effort of trying to make a counteroffer and negotiate.

Before you make an offer, think carefully about the state of the real estate market in your area to decide if you can try to go under the asking price.

2. The offer didn’t meet their terms

Many sellers set terms for offers to buy their home, such as a minimum earnest money deposit or waivers of specific contingencies, such as an inspection contingency.

For example, imagine the seller has already found a new home and wants to close quickly so they can use the proceeds from this sale to buy their next house. If they want a 15-day escrow and closing timeline, and your offer includes a 30-day escrow period, that can be unappealing to the seller.

If you make an offer with a good price but ignore these other terms, sellers could opt to ignore your offer.

3. They received multiple offers

Usually, home sellers receive multiple offers to buy their home. According to the National Association of Realtors, home sellers get an average of 2.4 offers for each home sold. If the house is priced aggressively or is in a hot market, the sellers could receive far more offers than that.

With so many offers coming in, sellers may decide that they don’t want to put in the time to respond to everyone or may simply forget. Even if your offer specifies how long the seller has to respond to your offer, they still may decide not to respond.

To make your offer stand out, consider these ideas:

• Make sure you have a preapproval from your lender
• Offer more than asking
• Offer to buy the home with cash, if you can
• Waive contingencies, such as home inspection contingency, after careful consideration
• Offer a quick closing on the house

Does the seller have to respond to your offer?

No, there is no legal obligation for a home seller to respond to an offer to buy a home.

Generally, sellers will respond when they get an offer if they are interested in negotiating with you or may simply reach out to let you know your offer wasn’t the winner. It can feel disheartening to not hear back, but you can’t force sellers to communicate with you.

If you want to know for sure when it’s safe to start looking at other homes, you can always include an expiration date in your offer. As a bonus, this can encourage sellers to respond quickly if they like your offer.

What to do if you don’t receive a response

If you don’t hear back from a seller after making an offer to buy their home, it’s easy to get frustrated or demoralized. Even so, it’s important to remain positive and respectful.

Here are a few things you can do if you have not received a response.

• Ask your agent to reach out to the seller’s agent. Your agent can contact the seller to see if they’re planning to respond or possibly gather information on why your offer wasn’t appealing or how it can be improved. For example, they can ask whether the seller set an offer review day, if they’re requesting “highest and best,” or if a counteroffer is possible.
• Make a new offer with better terms. If you really love the home, you can consider sending a new offer with a higher price, shorter closing, or some other new additions that make it more appealing.
• Set (or reset) an expiration date if the buyer wants clarity. The buyer may have missed or misunderstood the expiration date. Remind them or set a new one to confirm they are on the same page.
• Move on. If you don’t hear back, it’s often best to just move on and look for other homes. A good real estate agent will be able to help you find similar homes for sale.

The bottom line: Most sellers respond to offers within 72 hours

Making an offer on a house is an exciting and stressful feeling. There’s a chance you might never hear back from the seller, leaving you confused about why your offer wasn’t accepted. Working with an experienced real estate agent can help you craft an offer that appeals to the seller or gather information about why your offer wasn’t accepted.

While that can be difficult to deal with when your offer isn’t chosen, there are many homes out there. The best thing to do is move on and look for another home that meets your needs.

If you’re looking for ways to make your offer on a home more appealing, getting pre-approved for a mortgage is one great option. You can get in touch with Rocket Mortgageto see what you’re preapproved for.