My Real Estate Blog

For many people this can be a true nightmare but it doesn’t have to be.

If you’re in this situation then you know that timing and money are two critical issues. What you do or don’t do, can affect whether you have a successful sale and purchase of your next home.

Here are some tips to make it easier: 

1)  Get a home inspection on your current home so that you can find out any potential issues that will slow the sale process. 

2)  Get your home on the market as soon as possible. Delaying listing your home will result in a shorter time-frame to get it sold.

3)  When it comes time to sell, if you’re not ready to move in to your next home, work with your agent to arrange a long close or a rent-back option. This will help to avoid the hassle of an interim move.

4)  When you’re in a situation that has some very particular time constraints, you might find that it’s not always all about the price. Prepare for the best possible offer by screening your potential buyers, make sure they’re pre-approved. Sometimes a slightly lower offer may be the one that offers greater flexibility and just what you need when it comes to the closing schedule.

5)  Get the buyer of your old home and the seller of your new one on the same page. Put in writing the specific window of dates.

6)  Know your price point. This is really important regardless of whether you’re selling a home in order to buy another one. However, when you’re in a time crunch, it’s even more critical to know and shop for the home that’s in your price range. And, of course, just like you’re asking for with your buyers–get pre-approved.

7)  Get an inspection and make sure the new home can be insured.

8)  Having a buyers notebook where you can record all of your notes on your home search and jot down questions is an excellent tool to have handy when choosing which home you want to make an offer on.

Ultimately, selling and buying a home is a lot to handle but it can be a smooth transition.