To buy before you sell, you can make your offer contingent on selling your current home, use a bridge loan or a home equity line to cover the down payment, or ask your buyer for a rent-back after you sell first. Contingent offers are weaker in competitive markets; bridge financing makes your offer stronger but means carrying two homes for a while.
Option 1: A sale contingency
Your offer is conditional on your current home selling, usually within 30 to 60 days. If it doesn’t, you can cancel and get your earnest money back. Many sellers add a “kick-out” clause: if they get another offer, you have a few days to remove the contingency or step aside.
Sale contingencies work best in slower markets and when your home is already listed or under contract. In a hot market they often lose to non-contingent offers; check your position with the offer strength score.
Option 2: Bridge financing
- Bridge loan: a short-term loan against your current home to fund the new down payment, repaid when it sells.
- HELOC on your current home: set it up before you list, since lenders usually won’t open one on a home that’s for sale. See the HELOC calculator.
- 401(k) loan: possible but has drawbacks; see using a 401(k).
To qualify for the new mortgage, your lender may count both housing payments unless your current home is under contract. Check whether you’d qualify with both payments using the debt-to-income calculator.
Option 3: Sell first, then rent back
Sell your current home with a rent-back (also called a leaseback), so you stay for 30 to 60 days after closing, paying rent to the new owner. You know exactly how much equity you have, and your purchase offer is non-contingent. The risk: you need to find and close on a new home within that time, or move twice.
Know your equity first
Estimate what your home will sell for with the home value estimator, then subtract your loan balance and selling costs (often 6% to 9%). That’s roughly what you’ll have for your next down payment and closing costs.
Plan the timing
Look at how fast homes sell in your current ZIP code on its market page: in a fast market, selling first is lower risk; in a slow one, a contingency or bridge loan may be safer. Then plan your new budget with the affordability calculator and your cash to close.
Common questions
What is a home sale contingency?
A clause that lets you cancel and get your deposit back if your current home doesn’t sell within a set time.
What is a bridge loan?
A short-term loan against your current home that funds your new down payment, repaid when the old home sells.
What is a rent-back?
An agreement to stay in the home you sold for a set time after closing, paying rent to the buyer.
Updated October 2026. Educational content. OfferBacked is not currently a lender and doesn’t issue pre-approvals or loans.