Buy before you sell

Buy your next home first. Sell this one on your schedule.

Use the equity in your current home to buy the next one before this one sells. Make an offer with no home-sale contingency, move once, and sell the old house empty, on your timeline, with a backup offer behind you.

Move onceNo home-sale contingencyA backup offer behind you
See your buying power

A short call to see what your equity unlocks and whether the program fits. No obligation.

5.0 on Google · 11 reviewsNC licensed firm C24488Wake, Franklin, Granville, Vance, Warren
Second Story Realty clients in front of their new home
The next home, first
Then the old one sells, empty, on your schedule.
Is this you?

Built for the seller who is also a buyer.

You can’t carry two mortgages

Most people can’t. The program covers the down payment on the next home from the equity in this one, so you are not paying for two houses to make the move.

You won’t move twice

No short-term rental, no storage unit, no living out of boxes while you wait for a buyer. You move into the new home, then we sell the old one.

You keep losing to non-contingent offers

A home-sale contingency is the first thing a seller crosses out. Without it, your offer competes on price and terms, the way a cash offer does.

If you are staying put, or you have already sold, this is not your path. If you want the most for this home on its own, list with a plan
How it works

Buy first, move once, sell empty.

  1. Day 1

    See what your equity unlocks

    A short call, then a quick application with our lending partner. You learn how much you can put down on the next home and what the program costs, in writing, before you commit to anything.

  2. When you find the home

    Buy the next home

    Make an offer with no home-sale contingency. The equity advance covers the down payment, and can cover closing costs and moving. You move in first.

  3. Once you’ve moved

    We prep and list the old home

    An empty home shows better. We list the few updates that pay back, handle them, and the home goes on the market priced from what sold near you.

  4. At closing

    Sell, settle up, done

    The advance is repaid from the sale and the rest is yours. If the home has not sold within the program window, the backup offer is there.

Buy first, compared

One move or two. That is the whole difference.

Selling first is safer on paper and worse to live through. Buying first costs a program fee and saves the rental, the storage unit and the second move.

Buy before you sell

This page
Moves
One
Your offer on the next home
No home-sale contingency
Showings
After you have moved out
Sale timeline
You set it
Cost
A program fee, disclosed up front
Best if you can’t carry two mortgages and won’t move twice.

Sell first, then buy

The usual way
Moves
Two, or a rental in between
Your offer on the next home
Contingent, and weaker for it
Showings
While you live there
Sale timeline
The buyer’s
Cost
Rent, storage, and a second move
Best if you have somewhere to go and time to wait.
What we do

Both sides of the move, run by one broker.

The program handles the money. We handle the rest: the offer on the next home, the prep and sale of this one, and two closings that have to line up.

The numbers first

What this home would sell for, what the program unlocks, and what it costs. On paper, before you look at a single house.

The offer on the next home

Priced from what closed nearby, written without a home-sale contingency, negotiated by the person who knows what you can afford.

Prep that pays back

Cameron walks the old home once it is empty and lists the updates that return more than they cost. Most sellers do far less than they feared.

The sale, on your schedule

Photos, marketing, showings and negotiation, with a weekly update. You are already living in the new home while it happens.

Two closings that line up

The advance is repaid from the sale and the paperwork is coordinated on both ends so nothing lands on you twice.

A backup offer behind you

If the home has not sold within the program window, there is a guaranteed offer to fall back on. You will know the terms before you start.

One program fee, disclosed in writing before you sign anything. No interest during the standard program window.
The other three paths

Not the right fit? One of these might be.

Every path trades a little speed for a little money. All four sit side by side on the Sell page.

Cash offer

More than one written cash offer, beside what the home would sell for listed. No showings, no repairs, close in as little as two weeks.

Best if you need certainty and a date more than the last dollar.
Speed Fastest
Net Least

List with a plan

Priced from what actually sold near you, prepped only where it pays back, marketed everywhere, negotiated hard. The classic sale, run properly.

Best if you have a few weeks and want buyers competing for your home.
Speed Steady
Net More

Renovate and sell

We plan the updates buyers pay for, manage the work, and you sell for the renovated price. Financing options keep the upfront cost low.

Best if your home is dated and you want the renovated price without the upfront cost.
Speed Takes longest
Net Most
Questions

What sellers ask about buying first

How does it work, in one paragraph?

A lending partner advances part of the equity in your current home so you can buy the next one first. You move, we sell the old home empty, and the advance is repaid from the sale. What is left is yours.

What can the money be used for?

The down payment on the next home, and usually closing costs, moving costs and the carrying costs on the old home while it is on the market. Some programs also fund the prep work before listing.

What if my home doesn’t sell?

The program includes a backup offer. If the home has not sold within the program window, you can take it. Most homes sell well before that, priced from what actually closed nearby.

What does it cost?

A one-time program fee based on the home’s expected sale price, disclosed in writing before you commit. There is no interest during the standard program window. We will show you the fee next to what a second move would have cost.

Do I have to use a particular lender for the new mortgage?

No. The equity advance is separate from the mortgage on the next home, so you can use the lender you prefer.

Does my home qualify?

Most owner-occupied single-family homes, townhomes and condos with equity do. Manufactured homes and homes with major structural problems usually don’t. The call sorts it out in ten minutes.

Your next step

See what your equity unlocks before you write the next offer.

One short call tells you what the program unlocks for you, what it costs, and whether it beats moving twice.

  • How much you can put down on the next home
  • What this home would sell for, from what actually closed nearby
  • A timeline for both closings, and what the program costs
A short call · No obligation · Your numbers in writing
Cameron Saemann
Cameron Saemann
Broker in Charge