Sell First, Shop Second

🏡 SELL FIRST. SHOP SECOND.
Why Getting Your Home Under Contract Before House Hunting Can Make All the Difference
You’re ready for your next home. You’re excited. You’ve been scrolling through listings, saving your favorites, and imagining where the furniture will go.

But there’s one problem…

You still have a home to sell.

One of the most important pieces of advice I give my clients who need to sell in order to buy is this:

✨ Get your current home UNDER CONTRACT before you seriously start shopping for your next one.
It may not feel like the most exciting way to start the process, but it can put you in a much stronger position when your dream home hits the market.

 
🚩 Why Is a Sale & Closing Contingency a Problem?
When you submit an offer with a sale and closing contingency, you’re essentially telling the seller:

“I want to buy your home, but my purchase depends on selling and closing on my current home first.”
That creates additional risk for the seller.

Their sale is no longer dependent only on your financing, inspection, appraisal and closing.

It may also depend on:

Your home selling → Your buyer’s financing → Their inspection → Their appraisal → Their closing → THEN your closing.

That is a lot of moving pieces for a seller to consider.

 
🏠 Put Yourself in the Seller’s Shoes
Imagine receiving two offers on your home:

OFFER #1
✅ Buyer’s home is already under contract
✅ Closing date is scheduled
✅ Financing is lined up
✅ Fewer unknowns

OFFER #2
⚠️ Buyer still needs to sell their home
⚠️ No buyer for their property yet
⚠️ Multiple additional contingencies
⚠️ More opportunities for something to go wrong

If the offers are otherwise similar, which one would you choose?

For many sellers, the answer is easy.

The stronger, cleaner offer wins.

And sometimes a seller may even choose a slightly lower offer because it comes with fewer contingencies and less risk.

 
💡 THE BETTER STRATEGY
If you need the proceeds from your current home to purchase your next one, here’s the strategy I typically recommend:

PREP → LIST → CONTRACT → SHOP → BUY 🎉
1. Prepare your home for the market.

2. List your home and get it UNDER CONTRACT.

3. Once you have a solid buyer, start seriously shopping.

4. Find the home you love and submit a much stronger offer.

Instead of approaching a seller saying, “I still need to find someone to buy my house,” you’re approaching them saying:

“My home is already under contract.”
That’s a very different offer.

 
❤️ But What If I Don’t Find Another House?
This is probably the biggest concern I hear.

And it’s completely understandable.

That’s why buying and selling at the same time requires strategy—not panic.

Before your home ever hits the market, we can:

🏡 Watch homes in your target neighborhoods
💰 Discuss pricing and financing
📋 Create your must-have list
📍 Narrow down locations
🔑 Discuss timing and closing options
👀 Keep an eye on new listings

We aren’t waiting until your home sells to start planning.

We’re getting everything ready so that when your home goes under contract, we can MOVE.

 
⭐ THE BOTTOM LINE
I don’t want my clients finding the perfect home, falling in love with it…and then losing it because their offer wasn’t strong enough.

Sometimes the smartest first step toward buying your next home isn’t shopping for houses.

It’s selling the one you already own.
Get your home ready.
Get it listed.
Get it under contract.

Then let’s go find the one. 🏡❤️

 
Thinking About Selling AND Buying?
The timing can feel overwhelming, but you don’t have to figure it out on your own.

Let’s build your selling-and-buying strategy before you ever start house hunting.

A little planning on the front end can make the entire process smoother—and put you in a much stronger position when the right home comes along.

Ready to make a move?
Let’s talk.

Ashley McKee, REALTOR®
McKee Homes
Helping families make their next move with confidence.