Charles Carper · New Home Sales Consultant at D.R. Horton · This is my own site, not D.R. Horton's
Charles CarperNew homes · Raleigh-Durham

Sell & Buy Planner · 2 minutes

Should you sell first, buy first, or do both at once?

About two minutes. You type in your own numbers. The answer is an estimate, not a loan offer.

Now see the numbers

Three ways to do it, side by side.

Move four sliders. See how many times you'd move, how long you'd pay for two homes, and what you'd keep. Nothing you enter leaves this page.

Your numbers

Rough is fine.

$400,000
$200,000
$1,900Loan, taxes and insurance together.
About 7 monthsNot started yet. Building takes several months.
Change my assumptions
2 monthsFrom listing to closing.
6%Agent commissions and seller closing costs. Your listing agent has your real number.
2.25%Of your home's list price, plus about $1,850 in closing costs. Used only in way 2 with the program on.

Your equity today

$200,000

What it might sell for, minus what you owe.

After selling costs

$176,000

What a sale could leave you, before anything else.

You could tap before you sell

$100,000

Rough estimate with a buy-before-you-sell program.

Way 1

Sell first, then buy

Sell and close on your home. Then buy with the cash in hand.

Moves
1
Paying for two homes
None
Extra cost
$0
Cash left after the sale
$176,000

Good fit if your down payment comes from the sale, or you want one payment at a time.

Text me about way 1

Way 2

Buy first, then sell

Close on your new home and move once. Then sell your old home empty.

Moves
1
Paying for two homes
About 2.5 months
Extra cost
$4,800
Cash left after the sale
$171,000

Good fit if you can carry both payments and want one move.

Text me about way 2

Way 3

Buy with a home-sale contingency

Sign on your new home now. The purchase depends on your home selling.

Moves
1
Paying for two homes
None
Extra cost
$0
Cash left after the sale
$176,000

Good fit if your home will sell fast and you need the sale to buy.

Text me about way 3

Estimates for planning, not lending or financial advice. Your lender decides what you qualify for, and your listing agent has your real selling costs. Each D.R. Horton home has its own rules for contingencies, and they can change.

How the math works
  • Equity is what your home might sell for, minus what you owe. Cash left after the sale takes out your selling costs and any extra cost that way carries.
  • Sell first and home-sale contingency assume you list right away. List later and the gap between homes shrinks, but so does your cushion if the sale runs long.
  • Buy first allows about two weeks to get your old home ready after you move, then your months to sell. Each month counts your full house payment, so it runs a little high.
  • The buy-before-you-sell program uses one national program's published terms from October 2026: a fee of 2.25% of your home's list price, about $1,850 in closing costs, no interest for the first 6 months, and total debt on your home of no more than 75% of its value. Programs change and differ, so get the real numbers in writing.
  • A home-sale contingency comes with rules from the builder. Often the new home stays on the market while you sell. If another buyer makes an offer, you get a short window to drop the contingency, or the contract can end.
  • Your lender decides what you qualify for. A lender counts your current house payment until your home is sold, or under contract with your buyer's loan approved. Source: Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-6-05.

Where to go next

Rather talk it through?

Fifteen minutes. Tell me where you are, and I'll tell you what I'd look at first. No pressure.

Pick a call timeText me
Book a visitText