Selling and Buying a Home at the Same Time

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Need to sell a home and buy one in the Portland metro region all at the same time? You’re not alone.

In fact, according to Zillow’s 2018 Consumer Housing Trends Report, 60% of home sellers are also home buyers. “Synchronous sellers” is the term they used, and if the words immediately bring to mind an image of swimmers moving through the water in perfect unison, it’s an apt comparison. To buy and sell simultaneously, you have to keep afloat while fluttering your elbow and kicking one leg in the opposite direction — while remembering to breathe. It also helps to have some practice: That’s where your real estate agent comes in.

New agent, or two agents for Portland buy/sell transactions?

According to the National Association of Realtors, 87% of buyers use a real estate agent to purchase their home. That means you probably already know a Realtor, and if you’re like 90% of buyers, you would use that same Realtor again. After all, they’ve not only established a relationship with you, but they also know the home you bought and can easily list it on the market.
Before you commit though, ask yourself the following questions:

Selling a home while buying a new one puts the seller in a precarious position and it helps to have a top real estate agent by your side.

The next question is, should you use a separate agent for buying your next home?

I think so. That is why we have a buyer’s only specialist on our team, a top 1% buyer’s agent in Portland. In my opinion, specialization and focus makes you a better real estate agent. Kami Price has represented buyers in hundreds of transactions and has a long list of additional education certificates, so she can help home buyers with nearly any type of property or transaction. You want the right person to negotiate on your behalf and look out for your best interests in the purchase.

Our top 1% real estate team serves six Oregon counties (Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Marion, Polk, Yamhill Counties, as well as portions of Columbia County) and two Washington counties: Clark and Cowlitz. In other words, if you’re moving anywhere within the Portland metro region and surrounding areas, we’ve got the experience and credentials to help you out.

How to Buy and Sell a Home at the same time.

In a perfect world, most people would buy their new home, move into it, and then deal with the turmoil of selling the old one. For most people, this is simply not an option. For financial and logistical reasons, it makes sense to sell the existing home first, then buy the next one.

There is good news. The most typical approach to buying and selling a home in Portland is to put your home on the real estate market first, and at the same time – go home shopping.

When you get an offer in on your home, know your options. You can easily negotiate a 45 day close and on top of that, you can negotiate in a short term rent back, where your home is sold, but you are still living there as a short term renter. Most transactions allow closing to be put out 45 days and you can tack on a 60 day rent back period that starts after the 45 days are up. So, from the day you accept an offer on your home, you’ll have 105 days or better than three full months, before you have to move out. This gives you the time and money to find and close on your next property! This way you do not have to move twice. The above scenario is the most common way to buy and sell a home in the same city, and we’ve guided hundreds of clients through this process!

Ready to take the plunge into the deep end, sell your current home and move into a home that fits your needs? Contact us today. We know how stressful it can be, but we’re here to make it go as swimmingly as possible.

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What My Clients Are Saying

Stephen was just simply a fantastic realtor to work with in selling our home. If we had another 50 properties to sell, Stephen would be in charge of all of them. He was so professional in handling every detail of our sale, and he was so responsive to every question that came up in the course of our transaction. My wife and I are very thankful that we found Stephen.

Alan