A 3-Part Plan to Sell and Buy at the Same Time

When you have to sell your home before you can buy the next one, timing is the hardest part. Sell first, and you could end up with nowhere to go. Buy first, and the right house might slip away while yours is still waiting for a buyer.

We recently helped a family handle both sides at once, and the plan behind it came down to three parts.

Five years ago, we helped this family buy their home. This past spring, they called us again. One of them had accepted a new job in a different school district, and they wanted to be settled before the school year started.

Their wish list had shifted, too. They didn’t need as much house as before, though they wanted a little more room to breathe outside. We knew from the first conversation that this would be a sell-to-buy situation because they couldn’t comfortably buy the next home until they sold their current one. It’s the exact spot where many families get stuck, so we planned for it.

1. List as coming soon before shopping. Before we started looking at houses, we got their current home ready. We then listed it in the MLS as a coming soon or delayed listing, a status that can run up to 90 days in our area.

The goal is to show a seller you’re serious when you finally write an offer on your next home. Your house isn’t a someday idea anymore, because it’s already prepped and about to hit the market.

When a listing agent here receives an offer subject to the successful sale of your current house, the first thing they check is where your home stands. If it’s already on the market or in coming soon, you look like a far stronger buyer.

In this case, the search took longer than we’d hoped. We extended the coming soon period, keeping our clients in a position of strength the whole time.

2. Negotiate price and protective terms. By mid-August, we’d found a wonderful century-old home that gave them nearly everything on their list. Because of how the market is right now, we negotiated a strong price below what the sellers were asking.

The part we’re most proud of came next. We got the offer accepted with a home sale contingency, but without a bump clause. In Wisconsin, a bump clause lets the seller keep shopping. If a better offer comes in, it can push your accepted offer aside.

We always try to write our clients’ offers without one, and these sellers accepted it as written. A lower price and no bump clause meant our clients could move forward with real peace of mind.

We also negotiated that they wouldn’t pay for inspections or the appraisal on the new house until their own home was under contract. They weren’t spending money until their side was secure. Inspections always turn up a few things, and this one did too, so we used those findings to negotiate a further price reduction.

3. Build breathing room into closing day. Closing day is the stressor nobody warns you about. You’re packing and loading a truck, and the usual assumption is that you’ll drive straight from selling your old home to buying the new one. For a few hours in between, you’re essentially homeless.

To take that pressure off, we negotiated extra time for our clients to stay in their old home after closing. They closed Friday morning but didn’t have to be out until midday Sunday.

The extra time gave them the rest of Friday, all of Saturday, and Sunday morning to move out calmly. With the new place an hour away and cleaning to finish before moving in, those days mattered. What’s usually the most chaotic day of a move became something manageable.

4. Timing both moves is doable now. If you need to sell in order to buy, this is a market where you can do it well. Buyers and sellers have more room to line things up than they’ve had in years.

Whenever you’re ready, let’s map out your plan before you make a move. Call or text us at 608-345-6594, email us at info@holtrealestateteam.com, or visit holtrealestateteam.com. We’ll help you sell and buy on your terms, not in a panic.