How early should I start looking before I want to move?

You need to start your home search early enough to allow for time to get familiar with the market, find a house and then close. The typical home purchase in the St. Louis region takes about one month from the time the contract is accepted until it closes. Closings from 3-8 weeks are also fairly common. According to the National Association of Realtors 2008 survey, home buyers in the midwest averaged 10 weeks of searching before they wrote an offer on the house that they purchased. They also reported looking at an average of 12 homes and looked on their own for about 2 weeks before contacting an agent to assist them. When I talk to buyers that plan to move in the next 6 months, I suggest that they start with looking at home listings to get familiar with housing inventory and pricing. About 3 months before they want to move, I start scheduling home tours for them to see their favorite home listings. You can tour homes before then, but you are setting yourself up for disappointment if you find your dream home but just aren’t in a position to move yet. Two months is more than enough time to find a new home. On the other hand, some people are looking for a needle in a haystack. If your list of home features required for your new home or your price range doesn’t match up with what is normally available in the area you want to live, then you should be prepared for a long search and moving quickly to make an offer when you do find the right one.