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By Adam Lambert, founder of Deal Run · Updated October 30, 2026

How Long Does It Take to Flip a House?

About 161 days, or 5.3 months, from buying to reselling. That is ATTOM's figure for the typical house flipped in the second quarter of 2026, down from 165 days in Q1 2026 and 166 days in Q2 2025. ATTOM counts a sale as a flip only if the same property also had an arms-length sale within the previous 12 months, so the figure covers resales inside one year. It's a national number, so your market can run faster or slower.

That quarter, 77,991 single-family homes and condos were flipped, 6.2 percent of all U.S. home sales. The typical flip had a gross profit of $60,526, a 21.5 percent margin on the purchase price, before rehab, holding and selling costs. The longer the clock runs, the more of that gross profit goes to carrying costs.

What sets the clock

Selling time

Selling is a large share of the 161 days. Realtor.com data show homes typically took 60 to 85 days to go from newly listed to closed in 2025.

Season matters. U.S. median days on market was 61 in September 2026, against 62 in September 2025. Over the past year it ranged from 52 (April and May 2026) to 78 (January 2026). That median counts from the list date to the closing, pending or off-market date, so it can stop at the contract. A flip listed in January can sit longer than one listed in April.

The FHA 90/180-day rule

10.7 percent of flipped homes in Q2 2026 sold to buyers using FHA-backed mortgages, so the federal resale rule affects real deals. Cash purchases were 31.4 percent of U.S. home sales in the first four months of 2026, which means most retail buyers of a finished flip are financing.

  • 90 days or less: if the buyer's sales contract is signed 90 days or less after the seller acquired the house, it is not eligible for an FHA-insured mortgage.
  • Where the count starts and stops: from the seller's settlement date on the purchase to the date the resale contract is signed, not to the resale closing.
  • 91 to 180 days: the house is generally eligible. If the resale price is 100 percent over the purchase price, the lender must get a second appraisal from another appraiser. The lender may also support the higher value by showing it comes from the rehab, so keep receipts and before-and-after photos.
  • Some exceptions apply, so confirm with the buyer's lender.

A dated example

Assumptions: settlement on January 15, 2026 at a $150,000 purchase price; a 60-day rehab (assumed); listing on day 60; 60 to 85 days from listing to close; carrying costs of $2,000 a month (an illustrative assumption covering loan interest, taxes, insurance and utilities, not a sourced figure).

DayDate (2026)What happens
0Jan 15Settlement on the purchase. FHA days count from here.
60Mar 16Rehab done, house listed.
90Apr 15An FHA buyer's contract signed on or before this date makes the house ineligible for FHA financing.
91Apr 16First day an FHA buyer's contract works.
120–145May 15 – Jun 9Closing, if the sale takes 60 to 85 days from listing.
161Jun 25Where ATTOM's national typical would land.
180Jul 14End of the FHA 91–180 window.

Because the house is listed on day 60, an FHA buyer's contract can't be signed until day 91 (Apr 16), so an FHA offer in the first 30 days on the market has to wait.

Resale price and the second appraisal. A resale at 100 percent over $150,000 means $300,000 or more. Option A at $280,000 is 86.7 percent over, so no second appraisal. Option B at $305,000 is 103.3 percent over, so an FHA lender needs a second appraisal, and your rehab receipts and photos help.

Carrying cost. $2,000 × 12 ÷ 365 is about $65.75 a day, so each extra 30 days on market costs about $1,973. At 145 days the total carry is about $9,534; at 161 days it is about $10,586.

Result: about 4 to 5 months from settlement to closing (120 to 145 days, May 15 to June 9, 2026), just under the 161-day national typical. To see what a flip like this earns after carry, run it through the fix and flip calculator or the holding cost calculator, and read how to estimate holding costs.

Tax: under a year is short-term

A capital asset held one year or less produces a short-term gain, taxed as ordinary income. Property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business is not a capital asset at all, so a regular flipper's profit may be ordinary income however long the house is held. Ask a tax professional.

Frequently asked questions

How many days does the typical flip take?

Nationally, the typical house flipped in the second quarter of 2026 took 161 days from purchase to resale, about 5.3 months. That was down from 165 days in Q1 2026 and 166 days in Q2 2025. It's a national number, so your market can run faster or slower.

How long does selling a flip take?

Realtor.com data show homes typically took 60 to 85 days to go from newly listed to closed in 2025. U.S. median days on market was 61 in September 2026, ranging from 52 in April and May 2026 to 78 in January 2026, so a January listing can sit longer than an April one.

What is the FHA 90-day rule for flips?

Under 24 CFR 203.37a, a house is not eligible for an FHA-insured mortgage if the buyer's sales contract is signed 90 days or less after the seller acquired it. The 90 days run from the seller's settlement date to the date the resale contract is signed, not to the resale closing.

What happens if I resell between 91 and 180 days?

The property is generally eligible for an FHA-insured mortgage. If the resale price is 100 percent over the purchase price, the lender must get an appraisal from another appraiser. The lender may also document that the higher value comes from the rehab, so keep receipts and before-and-after photos.

Does holding a flip under a year change the tax?

A capital asset held one year or less produces a short-term gain, taxed as ordinary income. Property held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business is not a capital asset at all, so a frequent flipper's profit may be ordinary income however long the house is held. Ask a tax professional.

Doing this in Deal Run

Deal Run is our product. Before you buy, Max Offer runs the flip numbers from MLS-grade comps, ARV, a photo-based repair estimate and your holding costs, so you can see what each extra month on the clock costs before you sign. If the numbers say wholesale instead of hold, Deal Run finds and skip-traces local cash buyers, and you email and text blast your buyer list: emails go out from your own Gmail and texts from your own number. Contact grades flag do-not-call and litigator numbers before you text. Plans: Analyze $29/mo, Analyze + Sell $99/mo. Or pay per deal: $2 to analyze, $20 with 100 buyers. See also wholesaling vs flipping.

Keep reading

Sources

Know the clock before you buy

Put an address through comps, ARV, repairs and max offer with your own holding costs, then see what a slow month costs. Analyze is $29/mo; Analyze + Sell is $99/mo. Or pay per deal: $2 to analyze, $20 with 100 buyers.

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