How to Sell and Buy a Home at the Same Time in the North Willamette Valley

Selling and buying at the same time can feel like spinning two plates while walking a tightrope. The good news: with a clear plan and good communication, it’s absolutely doable—even in a changing market.

Step 1: Know your numbers and your “must‑haves”

Before you list, you’ll want a working picture of:

• What your current home might sell for in today’s conditions

• Rough net proceeds after payoff and typical selling costs

• What you need, at minimum, in your next home (location, size, features)

This doesn’t need to be perfect or final, but it gives you guardrails so you’re not making back‑to‑back big decisions in the dark.

Important: This is general education, not financial or legal advice. Specific decisions about borrowing, timing, or how to structure your purchase should be made with your lender and, when appropriate, a financial or tax professional.

Step 2: Choose your path—sell first, buy first, or coordinate both

Each option has pros and cons:

• Sell first:

  • Pro: You know exactly how much you net.

  • Con: You may need temporary housing or a flexible move‑in situation.

• Buy first (if you qualify):

  • Pro: You can move once, then list your old home.

  • Con: Higher financial pressure carrying two properties, even briefly.

• Coordinate both at once:

  • Pro: Potentially one move and one general timeline.

  • Con: More moving parts and tighter coordination.

There’s no single “right” way—just a best‑fit choice for your finances, stress tolerance, and support system.

Step 3: Prep your current home with a focused plan

Your current home is the engine that powers the next chapter. A focused prep plan can help you show up strong without burning out.

That often includes:

• Addressing obvious repairs or safety issues

• Tackling a few high‑impact projects (paint, lighting, curb appeal)

• Decluttering and simplifying so buyers can see the space, not the stuff

You don’t have to do everything. You do want to make it easy for buyers to imagine moving right in.

Keeping it real (estate): Strategic prep and smart positioning

In one West Linn case, we focused on a short list of practical updates, thoughtful staging, and marketing that clearly positioned the home within its specific micro‑market—rather than trying to compete with every listing in the wider area. That neighborhood‑specific strategy, combined with realistic pricing, helped the home stand out among similar mid‑range listings and led to a smooth, timely sale in a market where buyers were becoming more selective.

The lesson applies across the North Willamette Valley: clear positioning beats “let’s just see what happens” almost every time.

Step 4: Use timing tools to your advantage

When selling and buying at once, timing tools become your best friends:

• Rent‑backs (you sell, then rent the home back for an agreed period)

• Longer closing on your purchase, shorter on your sale—or vice versa

• Contingencies tied to the successful closing of your current home

These aren’t one‑size‑fits‑all, but they are real ways to bridge the gap between one front door and the next without everything collapsing into chaos.

Step 5: Give yourself permission to feel all the feelings

Even when the logistics are well‑managed, this kind of move is emotional:

• You’re closing one chapter while trying to be excited about another

• You may feel pressure to “get it all right” the first time

• There will be a few days or weeks that feel like controlled chaos

Having a plan—and a guide who’s watching both sides of the transaction—helps those feelings pass without taking over the whole experience.

Thinking about a sell‑and‑buy move?

If you’re in Canby, Oregon City, Woodburn, Molalla, Wilsonville or nearby and considering selling and buying at the same time, reach out here:
Connect with Jennifer

We’ll keep it real (estate), sort through your options, and build a plan that takes care of both homes—and your sanity.