How Long Does It Really Take to Sell a House in San Diego?

If you're considering selling your San Diego home, one of your first questions is probably: "How long will this take?" The answer depends significantly on which selling method you choose.

According to Zillow's November 2025 market data, San Diego homes currently take an average of 32 days to sell through traditional MLS listings. This timeline includes everything from initial listing to final closing. However, cash buyers operate on a completely different schedule, typically closing in 7-14 days.

Understanding both timelines-and knowing when each makes sense-can help you make the best decision for your situation, whether you're dealing with an inheritance, facing relocation, managing a property in need of repairs, or simply exploring your options.

How Long Does It Take to Sell a House in San Diego? (Traditional Sale)

Let's break down the traditional 32-day average into its component stages:

Property Preparation: 5-7 Days

Before listing, most sellers spend time decluttering, cleaning, making minor repairs, and staging. Homes in San Diego's competitive coastal neighborhoods like Pacific Beach, La Jolla, and Ocean Beach often benefit from professional staging, which can add a few days to schedule.

Listing and Photography: 3-5 Days

Your real estate agent schedules professional photography, writes the listing description, and prepares marketing materials. The property goes live on the MLS and major real estate platforms like Zillow and Redfin.

Showings and Open Houses: 10-15 Days

Potential buyers schedule showings, attend open houses, and evaluate your property. In San Diego's diverse neighborhoods-from Point Loma to North Park to Downtown-showing schedules vary based on buyer demand and property condition.

Offer Negotiation: 2-3 Days

Once you receive offers, negotiations begin. Price, closing date, contingencies, and repair requests all require back-and-forth communication and agreement.

Inspection and Appraisal: 7-10 Days

The buyer's home inspection typically occurs within 7-10 days of offer acceptance. Any issues discovered may trigger renegotiation or repair requests. The lender's appraisal happens simultaneously, confirming the property value supports the loan amount.

Financing and Underwriting: 15-21 Days

The buyer's lender processes the loan application, verifies employment and income, reviews credit, and underwrites the loan. This is often the longest single phase and introduces uncertainty-approximately 10-15% of sales fall through during this stage due to financing issues, according to industry data.

Final Walkthrough and Closing: 3-5 Days

Final walkthrough confirms the property condition, title company prepares documents, and all parties sign at closing.

Total Traditional Timeline: 32+ days (often 35-45 days in practice)

This timeline assumes everything proceeds smoothly. Complications-buyer financing issues, inspection repairs, appraisal gaps, or title problems-can extend the process to 45-60 days or longer.

Cash Buyer Timeline: 7-14 Days from Offer to Closing

Cash buyers in San Diego operate on a fundamentally different timeline because they eliminate the most time-consuming steps:

Initial Contact and Property Walkthrough: 1-2 Days

You contact a cash buyer like San Diego Fast Cash Home Buyer and schedule a property walkthrough. This can often happen within 24-48 hours, including evenings and weekends for your convenience.

Cash Offer Presentation: Same Day to 24 Hours

After the walkthrough, the cash buyer presents a written offer. The offer includes the purchase price, closing date, and terms. California law requires transparency in cash offers, especially if the buyer intends to assign the contract (wholesale).

Acceptance and Agreement: Immediate to 1-2 Days

You review the offer and decide whether to accept, counter, or decline. Reputable cash buyers provide a 3-day cancellation period as consumer protection, even if not legally required in all situations.

Title Search and Clearance: 3-5 Days

The title company searches for liens, encumbrances, and ownership issues. Cash sales move faster because there's no lender-required title insurance policy with additional requirements.

Closing: 1-2 Days

All parties sign documents, funds transfer, and you receive payment. Many cash closings in San Diego happen at local title companies in neighborhoods like Mission Valley or Downtown.

Total Cash Buyer Timeline: 7-14 days (typically 10 days)

The only variables are title issues (rare) and your preferred closing date. If you need more time to move out, reputable cash buyers can accommodate flexible closing schedules.

San Diego Home Sale Timeline Comparison (2025)

Sale Method	Average Timeline	Repairs Required	Agent Commission	Contingencies	Price Expectation
Traditional MLS	32+ days	Usually	5-6%	Yes (inspection, financing, appraisal)	95-100% of market value
Cash Buyer	7-14 days	No	None	No	80-92% of market value
iBuyer (Opendoor, Offerpad)	14-21 days	Varies	5-7% service fee	Some	90-95% of market value

Sources: Zillow November 2025 data for San Diego market; industry averages for cash buyers and iBuyers

When Does Speed Matter? Scenarios Where Cash Buyers Help Most

The 18-25 day time savings of a cash sale isn't just about convenience-in certain situations, it can save you thousands of dollars and significant stress.

Inherited Property with Holding Costs

If you've inherited a property in San Diego, you're facing monthly costs averaging $2,500-$4,000 according to typical property tax, insurance, utility, and maintenance expenses. San Diego County probate proceedings currently take 9-12 months to complete, according to SDCounty.ca.gov. During this time, holding costs add up.

32-day traditional sale: $2,500-$4,000 in holding costs
10-day cash sale: $800-$1,300 in holding costs
Savings: $1,700-$2,700

Relocation with Job Start Date

If you're relocating for work, your new employer won't wait months for your home to sell. You'll face double housing costs-rent or mortgage in your new city while still paying your San Diego mortgage, insurance, and utilities.

Example: Relocating from Pacific Beach to Austin, TX
Dual housing cost: $4,500/month
22-day savings: $3,300

Pre-Foreclosure Timeline Pressure

California foreclosure timelines vary, but once the Notice of Default is filed, you typically have 90-120 days before trustee sale. Every day counts when you're trying to avoid foreclosure and protect your credit.

A 7-14 day cash sale can stop foreclosure proceedings before the trustee sale, potentially saving your credit score from a 200-300 point drop that a foreclosure causes.

As-Is Property Condition

If your property needs significant repairs-roof replacement, foundation work, extensive deferred maintenance-traditional buyers will either request repairs (delaying closing) or offer far less than asking price after inspection.

Cash buyers purchase as-is, eliminating:
- Repair negotiation time: 7-14 days
- Contractor scheduling delays: 14-30 days
- Re-inspection time: 3-5 days

Tenant-Occupied Properties

Selling a tenant-occupied property through traditional channels is challenging. Showings require tenant cooperation (24-hour notice in California), and many buyers won't purchase occupied properties.

Cash buyers purchase tenant-occupied properties, handling the situation professionally and legally without requiring you to navigate eviction proceedings or lease termination.

The Trade-Off: Speed vs Price in San Diego's Market

Let's address the central question: Is the speed worth the price difference?

Traditional Sale Price Expectations

In San Diego's current market with a median home price of $915,000 (Zillow, November 2025), traditional MLS listings typically aim for 95-100% of market value, minus 5-6% agent commissions.

Example: $915,000 home
Sale price: $915,000
Agent commission: -$54,900 (6%)
Net to seller: $860,100

Cash Buyer Price Expectations

Cash buyers typically offer 80-92% of market value, depending on property condition, location, and timeline needs. The offer includes no agent commissions, no repair costs, and no showing preparation expenses.

Example: $915,000 home (good condition, desirable neighborhood)
Cash offer: $800,000-$840,000 (87-92%)
Commissions: $0
Repairs: $0
Net to seller: $800,000-$840,000

Difference: $20,100-$60,100

When the Speed Premium Makes Sense

The "cost" of speed ranges from $20,100-$60,100 in this example. Consider whether this premium is justified by:

Holding cost savings: $2,500-$4,000/month × months saved
Dual housing cost avoidance: $3,000-$5,000/month if relocating
Stress and uncertainty reduction: Priceless for many sellers
Opportunity cost: Can you deploy the cash faster to earn returns elsewhere?

Example calculation:
Cash sale difference: -$40,000
Holding costs saved (4 weeks extra): +$3,500
Dual housing avoided (relocated early): +$4,500
No repair costs: +$8,000
Net difference: -$24,000

For this seller, the true cost of speed is $24,000-not $40,000-and they gain certainty, reduced stress, and faster access to equity.

What to Expect: San Diego Cash Buyer Process Step-by-Step

Reputable cash buyers in San Diego follow a transparent, professional process:

1. Initial Contact: You reach out via phone, website form, or cash offer calculator. Reputable buyers ask about your property, timeline, and situation-not high-pressure sales tactics.
2. Property Walkthrough: A representative visits your property at your convenience. They assess condition, location, and current market comps. This typically takes 20-30 minutes.
3. Written Cash Offer: Within 24 hours, you receive a written offer specifying purchase price, closing date, contingencies, assignment disclosure, 3-day cancellation rights, and no junk fees guarantee.
4. Review and Decision: You have time to review the offer, consult family or advisors, and compare alternatives. Legitimate cash buyers never pressure you to decide immediately.
5. Acceptance and Title: If you accept, the title company begins the title search. You choose your preferred closing date within the 7-14 day window.
6. Closing: You sign documents at a San Diego area title company, receive payment (wire transfer or cashier's check), and hand over keys. The entire closing typically takes 30-45 minutes.
7. Your 3-Day Cancellation Window: Even after closing in some situations, California consumer protection law may provide cancellation rights. Reputable buyers disclose this proactively.

Frequently Asked Questions

When NOT to Use a Cash Buyer

Transparency matters. Cash buyers are not the best choice in every situation.

Choose traditional MLS sale if:

• You have 45+ days before you need to close
• Your property is in excellent condition and shows well
• You're targeting top dollar and price is your only priority
• Your neighborhood has high buyer demand and low inventory
• You enjoy the process of showings, open houses, and negotiation

Choose cash buyer if:

• You need to close in under 30 days
• Your property needs significant repairs you don't want to manage
• You've inherited a property and want to avoid holding costs
• You're facing pre-foreclosure or financial pressure
• You're relocating and can't manage a long-distance sale
• You want certainty over maximum price
• Your property is tenant-occupied