How to Buy Your Next Home Before Selling the Current One

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Buying a new home before selling the old one is manageable with the right strategy, but it requires careful sequencing and financing choices. Real estate agents quoted in this NerdWallet piece recommend listing your current home as quickly as possible, targeting properties that have sat on the market longer (where sellers are more likely to accept contingency offers), and pricing your current home slightly below market value to attract competing bids and give you flexibility in negotiations. According to June 2026 National Association of Realtors data cited in the article, the median time a home sits on the market is 28 days, while buyers typically take 10 weeks to find a new one — meaning the gap is real.

To bridge the financial gap, the article outlines two main tools. A bridge loan — a short-term loan designed specifically for this situation — typically carries a term of up to 12 months, no prepayment penalties, higher interest rates than a conventional mortgage, and closing costs of 1.5% to 3%. A home equity line of credit (HELOC), which lets you borrow against equity in your current home, is another option, but it must usually be opened before the home is listed for sale — many lenders won't approve a HELOC if the property was listed within the past 90 days, and closing can take several weeks. Either way, sellers should expect to lose between 10% and 15% of their sale price to closing costs and agent commissions before calculating what they'll net.