Most Shoppers Take Six Months to a Year to Find a New Home

Fifty-four percent of the nearly 1,200 recent and soon-to-be buyers participating in the National Assn. of Home Builders’ latest buyer-preference survey spent more than six months on the trail. And 15% of those searched for more than a year.

On average, they looked at 16 houses, including seven new and nine existing homes. But 27% viewed more than 20. Some are probably still looking.

-- Lew Sichelman