Should I Sell My Current House Before I Buy a New One?

Start by understanding the market

Real estate market conditions significantly impact your decision to sell your house before you purchase another one. It’s essential to know where the market is now and where it’s headed.

In a buyer’s market

In a buyer’s market, inventory exceeds demand, typically resulting in homes spending more days on market, and thus, resulting in pressure on the seller to reduce the price or offer concessions to incentivize a buyer. In such a market, it’s advisable to list your home first because it probably won’t sell right away. This provides time to look for a new home before you sell the current one.

In a seller’s market

Just the opposite occurs in a seller’s market. There is low inventory and high demand, often coupled with stiff competition. While you’re likely to sell your home quickly and possibly above asking, with few to no contingencies, and likely a quick close, you may experience difficulty finding your next residence. If you wish to avoid a second move into a temporary situation, you might not want to list until you’ve found a new home.

Here’s how to tell what kind of market you’re in:

The pandemic contributed to a strong seller’s market as buyers started seeking larger homes with more outdoor space and reassessing their home destinations with the rise of work-from-home opportunities. Supply chain issues limiting building supplies, as well as a labor shortage, further contributed to the housing shortage. In addition, record-low mortgage rates incentivized buyers.

However, the housing market looks very different in 2024 than it did during the pandemic boom. Home prices increased and mortgage interest rates remained stubbornly high, while inventory is also on the rise. Although the market has been tipped in favor of sellers for a while, Chief Economist Lawrence Yun of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) predicts that the nation is slowly shifting towards a buyer’s market.

Some experts predict a balanced housing market in 2025, with several key trends shaping the landscape. Mortgage rates are expected to remain above 6%, and home prices will grow by 3.7%.

Existing home inventory is projected to increase by 11.7%, while new single-family home inventory will rise by 13.8%. Home sales are predicted to grow 1.5% year-over-year to 4.07 million. Additionally, months of supply will improve from 3.7 months in 2024 to 4.1 months in 2025, pointing to a more balanced market with enough options for both buyers and sellers.

A good habit to know whether you’re in a buyer’s or seller’s market is to look at experts’ predictions for the market’s direction. Be sure to consult HUD’s Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis for a general overview of market insights on your nearest city.

A great way to determine if you’re in a buyer’s or seller’s market is to keep an eye on expert predictions for the market’s direction. For a comprehensive overview, check out the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Comprehensive Housing Market Analysis, which provides valuable insights into the housing trends in your area.

HUD conducts research on more than 100 major U.S. cities, releasing a regional report every two to three years that covers the city’s housing market trends, including the average home sale price, time on the market, the number of homes for sale, and relevant economic factors such as job growth rate, population, and average household income.

Sell your house first

Joel Barber, a top agent who works with 83% more single-family homes than the average Myrtle Beach, South Carolina agent, asks sellers: Can you buy a new house without selling yours first?

Selling your home first has some benefits. For example, it lets you determine how much you can afford for the new home. However, it’s a gamble as you may end up needing to find temporary housing until you secure your next home.

How to make it work

Transition via rent-back

If your home sells before you find one to buy, you can opt for a “rent back,” also known as a sale-leaseback, holdover, or “possession after closing,” in which you rent your home from the new buyer for a specified period of time, usually no more than 60 days. After that, the home is considered an investment property, so their loans would carry at least a 0.5% to 0.75% higher interest rate than a mortgage. This allows the seller to avoid a double move.

Barber says this is the best solution and is a “flip” on the more commonly seen buyer contingency. If a buyer really wants the home, allowing a lease-back can give them an edge in a competitive market.

In this scenario, the buyer gets some cash back, and the seller has the proceeds from the sale to apply toward a new home.

According to Mark Takacs, a top-selling agent in Atlanta, “The seller who is renting it back takes good care of the place — it was their house.”

Extend the closing period

According to Barber, the second-most popular option is extending the closing period. This allows the seller to remain in the house for a specified period of time. It’s a riskier option, because, while the house is under contract, it’s possible for the buyer to back out. Barber points out that the seller doesn’t have the proceeds from the sale to apply toward a new house, either.

Find temporary housing

Sellers may choose other options — staying with family, renting nearby, or house sitting. Perhaps they own a vacation home they can stay in temporarily. Barber suggests considering a short-term rental.

Buy your new house first

If you find the house you want before you sell your own house, it can carry some financial risk. You may have to come up with a down payment and carry two mortgages.

How to make it work

Make a contingent offer

If you found your dream house, but can’t afford to pay for it until the sale of your own home closes, you can make a contingent offer. This means you will enter a contract on the new home when and if your home sells. Keep in mind that sellers don’t look favorably upon this type of offer. In a seller’s market, when competition is fierce, your offer may be declined because sellers don’t want to wait around to see if you can sell your house before buying theirs.

Apply for a credit line

The benefit of owning your home is the ability to use it as an asset to borrow against. You can open a Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) to pull funds for your down payment and mortgage payments on the new home, borrowing up to 85% of your current home’s value minus the amount you owe.

To estimate if you’ll qualify before meeting with a lender, calculate your loan-to-value ratio (LTV). LTV is a percentage score based on the current value of your home, the outstanding balance on your mortgage, and your credit score. Use online calculators to estimate your LTV and how much you’re eligible to borrow via a HELOC.

Opt for a bridge loan

To overcome that daunting debt and get around the problem of coming up with a down payment, if your credit score is high and your debt-to-income ratio is low, you may qualify for a bridge loan, a short-term loan designed specifically to bridge the gap between selling one house and buying another. Bridge loans are typically for a six- to 12-month term, so they do not follow the standard “ability to repay” rules.

While approval is largely based on the value and equity of your property, you still need excellent credit and sufficient income to carry two mortgages. Bridge loans are notoriously pricey with higher interest rates than standard home loans, and come with additional costs, such as administration and appraisal fees. They are also difficult to obtain from institutional lenders, so you’ll probably need to go to a private lender.

Bridge loans typically work best in a seller’s market where your home is likely to sell quickly if priced correctly.

Rent your old home in the interim

If you move into your new home, you can become a landlord and rent your old house to cover the mortgage. Barber points out that not everyone can afford a second mortgage to purchase a new house before selling the old one, but if you can, this may be a viable option.

It’s wise to consult an attorney and your insurance agent to be sure you and your property are protected and to determine all the steps and permissions required. In addition, be clear with tenants about your intentions and expectations regarding any showings and open houses, such as when homebuyers are scheduled to visit, who is responsible for cleaning, and whether tenants need to leave.

Check with your state’s laws, but most require 24- to 48-hour notice of showings. You’ll also need to know what your state’s laws are regarding move-out notices. Typically, it’s at least 30 days, but it depends on the state.

Keep in mind that renters can cause severe wear and tear on the property, and being a landlord is not for everyone.

Cash-out with Airbnb

As opposed to a long-term rental, you can make it available for a short-term rental by listing your home on Airbnb, Vrbo, or other vacation rental sites. According to Thrillist, Airbnb hosts in the US make an average of $44,235 per year, with some hosts in hotspots like Hawaii earning up to $73,247 per year.

This option becomes more challenging if you move out of the area. Regulations limiting short-term rentals are developing, so be sure to check your local laws before listing.

Buying and Selling at the Same Time?

Juggling the sale of one home and the purchase of another can be stressful even under the best of circumstances. Working with a top agent on both ends of the deal can help ensure an outcome that works best for you.

Find Agent

Sell and buy at the same time

Ideally, you hope to coordinate the purchase of your new home with the sale of your old one. Using the same agent for both transactions can increase the odds of pulling this off by streamlining communication — a real benefit when trying to coordinate dates or have a contingent sale. You may even be able to negotiate a discount on the commission.

Work with a top agent

“What separates a top agent is finding a solution for the client,” Barber states. That goes beyond price to include strategy. He has acquired clients due to the solutions he has offered, such as adding a virtual component or drone footage that other home listings did not include. “You need to study the market and know what’s going on with buyers and sellers,” he shares.

It can be difficult to find someone experienced as both a buyer’s and a seller’s agent. HomeLight can connect you with proven agents through our platform, which analyzes millions of real estate transactions in order to determine the top agents in your neighborhood.

Get backed by the right lender

Takacs recommends working with a local lender because these smaller operations understand the local market and have a more personal interest in your loan closing on time.

“It’s OK to shop fees and rates to some degree, but I wouldn’t make that my primary decision point,” he says. “It’s more about closing on time, the back office not screwing things up, the underwriter being local.”

Your agent can recommend a trusted lender they have worked with. If you’re still curious about the bigger backers, U.S. News provides a detailed guide to the best mortgage lenders.

Use a home “buy before you sell” platform

It can be tricky to time the sale of your current home with the purchase of another one. Innovative solutions like HomeLight’s Buy Before You Sell program are specifically designed to make the process much, much easier.

With Buy Before You Sell, HomeLight evaluates your existing property using a proprietary algorithm to figure out how much of your home equity you can unlock to put toward the down payment of your new home, moving expenses, closing costs, or property repairs.

This allows you to make a contingency-free offer on a home, even though your current home has not yet been sold. Once you move into your new home, your real estate agent will list your previous, now vacant home to attract the strongest offer.

With Buy Before You Sell, you can avoid potentially paying two mortgages or rental fees, and you won’t have to move twice.

Choose the path that best fits your needs

Selling your home before you find a new one can deliver benefits:

• You’ll know what your budget for a new house is.
• You can put the proceeds from the sale of your house toward the purchase of your new one.

However, you run the risk of having to move twice and keeping your furniture in a temporary storage unit if you can’t find a new home quickly — and you may get stuck in a short-term rental.

Whichever path you take, remember that you have options. When the process gets overwhelming, keep the goal in mind: you’re leaving behind a house that no longer suits your needs in order to move into one that does.

A real estate agent can help you weigh the pros and cons of selling first versus buying first, guiding you toward the best decision based on your financial situation and market conditions. Connect with a proven agent today.

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