The honest answer is two numbers, not one: how long until you accept an offer, and how long until you get paid. In Michigan in 2026, both depend almost entirely on condition.
Days on Market: The Averages Lie
Detroit homes averaged 58 days on market over the three months ending April 2026 per Redfin, and metro suburbs generally run faster. But averages blend two different markets. Updated houses priced honestly in Warren, Livonia, or Royal Oak routinely go under contract in one to two weeks with multiple offers. Houses needing work sit 60, 90, sometimes 120 days, then sell after one or two price cuts. The average says 58. Your house will likely be much faster or much slower.
Under Contract Is Not Sold
A financed buyer adds 30 to 45 days from accepted offer to closing: inspection week one, appraisal week two or three, loan underwriting after that. Each stage can kill the deal. Inspection renegotiations are routine on older Michigan housing stock, appraisal gaps happen in fast rising suburbs, and financing falls through often enough that every agent has stories. When a deal dies at day 35, your days on market clock effectively restarts with a stigma attached, buyers ask what the last buyer found.
The Full Timeline, Realistically
Retail sale of an updated house: one to two weeks of prep, two weeks to contract, 35 days to close, roughly two months end to end if nothing breaks. Retail sale of a dated house: add prep or price cuts, add renegotiation risk, four to six months is common. Cash sale: offer in a day or two, seven to fourteen days to close once title is clear, condition irrelevant. We have closed in a week when an estate needed it and waited three months when a seller needed time to move, the date is the seller’s choice. That control, more than speed itself, is usually what people are buying.
What Actually Makes Michigan Houses Sit
From our side of the market, the sitters share traits: original kitchens and baths, roofs and furnaces past their service life, and prices set by what the neighbor’s updated house sold for. If that describes your house, your realistic options are funding the update, pricing well below the updated comps, or selling direct. We will give you a written number for option three in 24 hours through our offer form, and our cash vs realtor math shows how to compare it honestly.