How do you avoid owning 2 homes?

[debodun]

Say in a given situation that you can't move unless you have a place to move to, but at the same, you find a nice place and want to move but there are no buyers on the horizon for your current house.

 

[Aunt Marg]

We'll... if dear husband and I were in your shoes, we would have to sell first, because we aren't made of money, but even then, would be so nice to see you sell first, Deb, then buy, that way you'd ease any worry and there would be no stress.

 

[Don M.]

Moving is ALWAYS a major hassle...unless you are just renting, with minimal household belongings. When we bought this place, the contractor had just started building, and we put our city house on the market...expecting the sale to take several weeks. Boom!...a week later, we had a firm offer for just about what we were asking, and the new owner wanted the house in 30 days. We had to go into scramble mode, and quickly move everything into storage, and we stayed in a local motel for a month while this house got finished.

If you can afford to do so, buy this house, move your stuff, then put your old place on the market, and take whatever you can get for it.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would sell my existing home before purchasing a new home or make my purchase offer contingent on the sale of my current home.

Most buyers will not work with a contingency because they don't want to get stuck with two homes either.

Good luck!

 

[Knight]

Say in a given situation that you can't move unless you have a place to move to, but at the same, you find a nice place and want to move but there are no buyers on the horizon for your current house.

Store what you want to keep donate or trash what you don't then rent until you are able to buy what appeals to you.

 

[Ferocious]

Two houses?? Two houses??
You think you have problems, spare a thought for poor old me, I'm plagued with 17 castles, a tent and a beach hut at Blackpool......and this crown doesn't half chaff my napper.

 

[fmdog44]

Rent for one month storing your stuff in a storage facility. Problem solved. Be ready for my bill payable in 15 days. I did it my folks did it.

 

[bowmore]

I sort of had the same situation. After my wife was widowed, she had to sell he house and found a beautiful manufactured home she put a deposit on. I owned an 1800 sq ft condo. While on the cruise on which we were married, we got word her house sold. We then finalised the purchase of our new home.
At the time the housing market sucked, so I turned my condo into a rental handled by a management company. I did that for a number of years until the market improved, and sold it.

 

[Kayelle]

I've owned only three houses in my previous life before Bowmore. The buying and selling of all of them was a nightmare. The sale of the last one was the worst being a brand new widow at the time. I simply couldn't afford to live there and the market was in the dumper. (2005) It took 2 years to finally sell it as it went in and out of escrow twice before it finally sold.
When Bowmore and I bought this lovely simple home together, we bought a little sign for the front yard...

 

[JaniceM]

Say in a given situation that you can't move unless you have a place to move to, but at the same, you find a nice place and want to move but there are no buyers on the horizon for your current house.

If you're having a difficult time trying to find a buyer, have you considered one of those cash-for-houses offers? You'd probably get a little less for the house, but could avoid a lot of aggravations.