Buying and selling a home simultaneously is a process that many real estate owners have to go through. Although this process can be stressful, you will feel great once the ink is dry on both contracts. With the right planning and a skilled realtor by your side, buying and selling at the same time can be a very manageable and rewarding process. Check out some of the suggestions below for getting your ducks in a row before you start your home sale and purchase.
Plan things in advance
While each experience of buying and selling a home is different, there are certain steps that are always part of the process. For buyers, this includes things such as securing a mortgage, viewing homes, and getting an inspection. For sellers, the necessary steps include cleaning, staging, and listing. Both buyers and sellers need to secure an agent as well. Your planning should include anything and everything that you know you need to do to buy and sell a home.
When you are buying and selling homes at the same time, there are certain logistics that you will have to work out. This is especially true if you are selling your primary residence and purchasing a new one, as opposed to just buying and selling investment homes. One of the most important questions for those buying and selling at the same time is whether they will need to work with more than one realtor or firm during the process.
If you are buying and selling in the same area, then you should generally stay with the same agent. If you are buying in one area and selling in another, especially in another state, you may need more than one agent. While some states have real estate license reciprocity with other states, some realtors will not be able to help you in certain areas where they are not licensed or where their expertise is limited. For instance, you could buy and sell Lake Tahoe real estate with just one agent. If, however, you were to sell a home in New York City in order to purchase your Lake Tahoe real estate, you could require the services of more than one real estate agent.
Be prepared financially
Financial planning is a major component of success when it comes to buying and selling at the same time. If you’re buying a home in cash, then your financial planning will be somewhat simpler. If you’re planning on purchasing a home with funds derived from selling your current home, you will need to ensure that you have things sorted out.
In a perfect world, you would deposit a big check from your home sale and then turn around and write another check for your home purchase. In the real world, things are a little more complex. Nevertheless, buying and selling at the same time is a fairly common occurrence in the real estate industry, and mortgage providers can work with you. There are financial products designed to help home sellers finance a home purchase prior to having cash in hand. One way is to get a bridge loan, which allows you to leverage the value of your current property in order to purchase your new one. This saves you the stress of having to get funds from your home sale first before you can purchase a new property.
It is unlikely that your home sale and purchase will close at exactly the same time. You may find a home you would like to purchase before you can find a buyer for your current home. You can take advantage of a bridge loan or other financial tools in order to make things happen smoothly. Talking to your realtor is the best place to start since they will understand your individual circumstances as well as the area in which you are buying and selling.
Clean, declutter, and stage your home before selling
One of the keys to success in any home sale is staging, along with the preparatory steps of cleaning, decluttering, and depersonalizing your home. When you’re planning on purchasing a new home at the same time, you will undoubtedly be eager to get your home sold quickly, and staging will be an important part of that.
Staging is what makes your home look inviting to prospective buyers, and it can give it the edge that it needs to stand out in a buyer’s mind. You need to consider that your prospective buyers may have the opportunity to view any number of attractive homes, so it is really important to make a strong impression.
The importance of staging is not merely theoretical. As reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), staging has been known to make home sales faster as well as more lucrative. However, there is no need for you to do your own staging if you would prefer not to. You can get everything from professional staging help to furniture rentals.
You have the option to use your own furnishings for staging or to buy or rent new furnishings. Whatever route you choose, be sure to plan out when and how you will move your furniture and other belongings if the home that you are selling is your residence. Ideally, you move the furniture directly from one home to another, but it is not always this easy. Your home may sell before you have closed on your next home, so plan accordingly.
Buy and sell with the best real estate partner
Choosing a realtor is essential to buying or selling a home, and it’s especially important when you’re doing both. The Live Tahoe Team works with buyers and sellers of Lake Tahoe real estate, and their portfolio includes high-end properties in the surrounding area. Chris and Brooke Hernandez have tools to assist real estate investors with buying and selling at the same time, helping to simplify the process and ensure the best possible outcomes. Check out their website for tools to help you estimate the value of your current home, calculate mortgage payments for your new home, and much more.