Despite the ongoing housing shortage, build times are actually speeding up. Building a new single-family home took less time in 2025 compared with the previous three years, according to a report from the National Association of Home Builders.

How long does it take to build a new single-family home?

As of most recent 2025 data, it now takes approximately 8.8 months to build a home from start to finish. This timeframe includes the 1.4 months for authorization to start construction as well as the remaining 7.4 months to complete construction on the home.

Homes that are built for sale take the shortest amount of time to build at 7.4 months from obtaining building permits to completion. Meanwhile, custom homes take the longest amount of time at 14.3 months. Homes in the built-to-rent sector also took approximately 12.4 months from authorization to completion.

Regions also create variations in build times

Among the census designated divisions, the New England division observes the longest build time at 13.5 months, followed by the Middle Atlantic at 12.6 months, the Pacific division at 10.3 months, and the East South Central division at 9.1 months. Meanwhile, the South observes the shortest timeframe at just 7.6 months.

If homes are getting quicker to build, why is the market still observing a housing shortage?

Despite the process speeding up slightly over the past few years, there’s still not enough homes to meet demand. In fact, data from NAHB shows that most homes being built are going under contract before they’re completed. In 2025, 12.3% of homes built were sold before construction started, 29.3% were sold while under construction, 18.5% sold during the month of completion, and 31.5% sold after completion.