If you're relocating to a new state, one question tends to come up before almost any other: should you sell your current home first, or find the new one first?
There's no universally right answer — but there is a right answer for your situation, and it usually comes down to how much of your next down payment is sitting in your current home's equity, and how much uncertainty you can tolerate.
The three ways to sequence it
Sell first, then buy. You list your current home, close the sale, and use the proceeds (and certainty) to make a strong offer on the next one. This is the lowest-risk option financially — you know exactly how much you have to work with — but it can mean a stretch of temporary housing if you haven't lined up the next place yet.
Buy first, then sell. You purchase the new home before your current one sells, usually with a bridge loan or a home equity line against your current property. This avoids double moves and lets you move on your own timeline, but it means carrying two mortgages, even briefly, and it only works if your finances can support that.
Do both at once, with contingencies. You make an offer on the new home contingent on your current home selling, or negotiate a rent-back period after your sale closes so you're not homeless in between. This threads the needle, but it requires a seller on the other end willing to accept a contingent offer — which is easier in a buyer's market than a seller's market.
What actually decides it for most people
In our experience, it almost always comes down to one question: is most of your next down payment currently sitting in your home's equity?
If yes, you likely need to sell first, or at least have a very solid bridge financing plan lined up before you make an offer on anything. If your next purchase doesn't depend heavily on today's home sale, buying first gives you more control over the moving timeline and avoids a temporary-housing gap entirely.
The mistake we see most often
Homeowners commit to a moving date — because of a job start date, a school year, or a lease ending — before they've locked in either side of the transaction. Once that date is fixed, it becomes leverage the other party can use: a buyer who knows you need to close by a certain date has less reason to negotiate on price, and a seller in your destination city who knows you're on a deadline has less reason to accept your contingencies.
The fix isn't to avoid deadlines — moves need dates. It's to sequence the decisions (financing, contingency terms, target close windows) before the date becomes public knowledge to the other side of either transaction.
This is general information, not financial or legal advice — every relocation has its own timeline pressures and financing picture. If you want a plan built around your specific situation, book a free consultation and we'll walk through it together.