Selling and buying at the same time? Keep more for the next one.
The money you don't pay in commission can go into your next down payment, cover a gap between homes, or both.
Plan my sell-and-buy
The short version
- The money you keep on the sale can raise your next down payment — a smaller loan, a smaller payment, or no PMI at 20% down.
- It can pay for temporary housing, storage, or bridge financing if the timing doesn't line up.
- There are five common ways to time it, and we'll help you pick one.
Where your sale money goes
What goes into the next home
What goes into the next down payment
You'd keep this much more
$49,001
Against a 5% commission
- Net proceeds
- $544,775
- Down payment
- 45.40%
- Loan
- $655,225
- Payment
- $4,337/mo
- PMI likely
- No
With a 5% commission
- Net proceeds
- $593,776
- Down payment
- 49.48%
- Loan
- $606,224
- Payment
- $4,013/mo
- PMI likely
- No
With SelfCloze
Seller costs included: county transfer tax, the owner's title policy, and your half of escrow. Estimates.
Five ways to time it
1. Sell first, then buy
- Pro
- You know exactly what you have, and you never carry two payments.
- Con
- You need somewhere to live, and you may move twice.
- Fit
- Good if your equity is the down payment.
2. Buy first, then sell
- Pro
- One move, no temporary housing, and you buy without a contingency.
- Con
- Two payments, or a bridge loan or HELOC to cover the gap.
- Fit
- Good if you can carry both for a while.
3. Contingent offer
- Pro
- Your purchase depends on your sale, usually on a 30–90 day window (the C.A.R. COP form).
- Con
- Weaker in multiple offers, and the seller can keep marketing and give you notice to perform.
- Fit
- Good if your home is already listed and priced to move.
4. Rent back after your sale
- Pro
- You sell, then stay put while you close on the next one.
- Con
- Under 30 days uses the SIP addendum, a licence. Thirty days or more is an RLAS lease, with tenant law and deposits attached. Lenders often cap the length.
- Fit
- Good if the buyer isn't in a hurry.
5. Bridge loan, HELOC, or buy-before-you-sell
- Pro
- Unlocks the equity before the sale closes.
- Con
- Costs real money, and a HELOC has to be opened before you list — most lenders won't open one on a listed home.
- Fit
- Good if timing beats cost.
Bridge loans typically run 2–4 points above mortgage rates with 1–3% origination over 6–12 months. Programme fees vary. Check current terms before relying on any of these.
Temporary housing in San Diego
| Option | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Furnished 1BR, monthly | $2,500–$3,500 |
| Furnished 2BR, monthly | $3,500–$4,500 |
| Furnished 3BR, monthly | $5,300–$9,950 |
| Extended-stay hotel | $83–$109 a night |
| Storage, 10x10 | about $178 a month |
What a gap between homes costs
Cost of the gap
$8,556
2 months between homes
Coordinating two escrows
- California escrows run 30–45 days.
- Aim for the sale to record the same day as the purchase, or a day before.
- Remove the sale contingencies before the purchase contingencies.
- Tell both escrow officers the two deals are linked.
- Have your lender underwrite using your sale proceeds.
- Mind wire cut-off times, and remember deeds only record on business days.
Tax, briefly — and this isn't tax advice
If you owned and lived in the home two of the last five years, you may be able to exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 married filing jointly. The rules have edges. Talk to your CPA, and see IRS Topic 701.
Selling and buying? Over $900 less a month on the new one.
Lower your monthly payment. Cover your closing costs. Keep more cash in the bank. With SelfCloze, the fee the seller pays your agent mostly comes back to you. You pay $0 up front, and if you don't buy, you pay nothing.
Get my rebate estimateBased on a $1M San Diego home where the seller offers 3% to the buyer's agent. Applied to closing costs first. How much can go to you beyond that depends on your loan. Estimate only, not a guarantee.
How SelfCloze helps
On a $1M sale, a 6% commission is $60,000. Our fee is flat, so nearly all of that difference stays in your proceeds — and proceeds are what the next lender counts as your down payment.
Questions people ask
- Should I sell first or buy first?
- Selling first tells you exactly what you have and avoids two payments, at the cost of temporary housing and a second move. Buying first means one move and two payments, or a bridge loan. Which is right depends on your cash, not on a rule.
- Will a contingent offer get accepted?
- It can, but it's weaker in a multiple-offer situation, and the seller can keep marketing the home and give you notice to remove the contingency. It works best when your home is already listed and priced to sell.
- How long can I rent back after closing?
- Under 30 days uses the SIP addendum, which is a licence rather than a lease. Thirty days or more uses an RLAS lease and brings tenant law and deposit rules with it. Lenders often cap how long a rent-back can run, so check before you agree to one.
- Do I owe tax on the money I keep?
- If you owned and lived in the home two of the last five years, you may be able to exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or $500,000 married filing jointly. That's a question for your CPA, not for us.
On the buy side, your agent gets paid $30,000. You could get most of it.
The seller pays your agent. We keep a flat fee. You keep the rest.
See your numberBased on a $1M San Diego home where the seller offers 3% to the buyer's agent. Applied to closing costs first. How much can go to you beyond that depends on your loan. Estimate only, not a guarantee.
Plan my sell-and-buy