Selling and Buying at the Same Time: How We Navigated All the Moving Parts

Selling one home while buying another is one of the more complex things we do in real estate.

There are two timelines to manage, two sets of variables, and not a lot of room for things to slip. When it works, it’s really satisfying. When it doesn’t, it can be really stressful for everyone involved.

Hi, I’m Cari McGee. I’ve been a Tri-Cities Realtor® since 2004, and I’ve helped countless clients navigate the sell-and-buy-at-the-same-time situation. In this case study, I’ll show you some of the challenges of buying and selling at the same time — and how a smart strategy makes all the difference.

Meet My Clients: Doug and Linda

Doug reached out with a clear goal: Sell their current home in West Richland and downsize into something that worked better for this stage of life. He and Linda were ready for a smaller place, and they had their eye on new construction as the next chapter.

Their home had not one, but two 2-car garages — one attached and one detached. That made it a unique property, but not a problem because almost everyone loves more garage space!

What made the sale more challenging was the xeriscaped backyard. This is a market of home buyers that mostly want grass. Here are two of our listing photos to give you a visual:

Why Selling First Was the Right Move

One of the first conversations we had was about sequencing. Doug and Linda knew they wanted new construction, but they hadn’t locked in a specific home yet. I advised them to sell first before committing to a purchase. Here’s why:

When you write a contingent offer on a new home, meaning your purchase depends on selling your current home, you’re telling the seller: I’ll buy this house, but only if my house sells by a specific date.

That puts pressure on you. You’ve agreed to buy a new home before selling yours, so now you have to sell, and sell fast. You’re racing against your own deadline, and buyers can sense urgency. It can cost you good money, because they may offer less and you might be forced to accept it so you can buy the other home.

On the other hand, when you sell first without having your next home already under contract, you have more leverage. You can hold out for the right offer because you’re not backed into a corner. You’re not desperate to sell.

The tradeoff of selling first is that you don’t know yet where you’re going. There’s always a risk that when you’re ready to buy, the right home isn’t available. It’s a calculated risk, but for Doug and Linda, it was the right call.

The Xeriscaped Yard Challenge

Doug and Linda’s home had a lot going for it. End of a cul-de-sac. Enough garage space for four cars, which is exactly the kind of thing Tri-Cities buyers get excited about. Plenty of driveway parking, too. The bones were solid.

The backyard was the sticking point. It was fully xeriscaped, which meant rock and drought-tolerant plants instead of grass. For Doug and Linda, that had been a practical choice.

But for buyers, it was a hard sell. People want grass. They want somewhere for their kids to run and their dogs to roam. When a backyard doesn’t offer that, it shrinks the buyer pool. And it meant Doug and Linda’s house didn’t sell as quickly as it would have otherwise.

We had showings. We even had an offer early on that we went back and forth on but couldn’t get to work. So we kept going. They were such a great couple to work with — gracious and patient. I loved working with them. Every time I came to visit, Linda had snacks ready. They were so sweet!

Multiple Offers and a Clean Finish

Eventually, the right buyers came along. We ended up in a multiple offer situation, which was a great outcome after the longer road to get there. One offer came from a buyer who loved the home but wanted the rocks removed from the backyard for her dogs, and asked to redo the fencing to fit their camper.

The competing offer was strong and clean, so that’s the one they chose. And because Doug and Linda’s new construction home wasn’t quite finished at the time of closing, we negotiated a rent-back arrangement that let them stay in their home for a couple of days after closing while the new place was completed. It was a small but important detail that made the whole transition seamless.

They moved into their new home right on schedule. The longer sale process, the competing offers, the coordination between two timelines — we navigated a lot of moving parts together, and it all worked out exactly the way it was supposed to.

Thinking About Selling and Buying at the Same Time?

This is one of the most common situations I work through with clients, and the sequencing question is almost always the first one we need to answer. The right order depends on your timeline, your financial situation, and what the market looks like at that moment.

So if you’re thinking about making a similar move in the Tri-Cities, reach out and let’s talk it through. Use the form below to email me, or the TEXT US tool to message me. No pressure, no obligation.

-Cari

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