For growing families & move-up buyers
You’ve outgrown the house. Now the hard part.
The equity is there. The problem is logistics — selling and buying at once, without carrying two mortgages or living in your in-laws’ guest room for six weeks. That sequencing is the whole job, and it’s the part I plan on paper before we list anything.
What we map out first
- What you’d actually net from the current home after costs
- Sell first, buy first, or simultaneous — with the risks of each written down
- Whether a rent-back keeps you out of a temporary rental
- Whether you can carry your property tax base to the next house
This page is for you if…
Move-up buyers rarely have an affordability problem. They have a timing problem. See if these sound familiar.
- The kids share a room, or your office is a corner of the bedroom
- You have real equity but no idea what you’d net after everything
- You’re terrified of selling and then not finding anything
- You’re equally terrified of buying and then not selling
- A specific school attendance area is driving the whole decision
- You cannot float two mortgages, even for a month
How I work
One agent, both transactions, one plan
When the sale and the purchase are run by two different people, the gaps between them become your problem. I run both sides so the calendar actually lines up.
Your sequence, written down
We lay out all three paths — sell first, buy first, or a coordinated close — with the cash requirement and the worst case for each. Then you pick one, on purpose, instead of drifting into it.
Equity math before anything else
A real net sheet on the current home: commissions, escrow and title, city and county transfer taxes, repairs, and payoff. That number sets your entire budget, so we get it first.
Schools and commute, mapped
Attendance boundaries don’t follow neighborhood names, and a ten-minute difference on paper can be forty at 8am. We check the actual boundary and drive the actual route.
Rent-backs and contingencies
A seller rent-back or a properly written contingency can be the difference between moving once and moving twice. I negotiate for the timeline, not just the price.
The process
How a coordinated move actually runs
Equity and net review
What the current home is worth today, and what you’d walk away with after every cost.
Choose the sequence
Sell first, buy first, or simultaneous — decided with your lender in the room, not guessed at.
Prep and price to sell
Targeted repairs, staging where it pays, professional photo and video, and a launch date that fits the plan.
Search in parallel
We’re touring for the next house while the current one is being prepped, so you’re not starting cold.
Coordinate the closings
Escrows aligned, rent-back negotiated if needed, movers booked against real dates instead of hopes.
Move once
One move, one set of boxes, one weekend. That’s the whole goal.
Los Angeles specifics
The California rules that change the math
A few things specific to selling and buying here that are worth knowing before you start.
Proposition 19 tax base transfer
If you’re 55 or older, severely and permanently disabled, or a victim of a wildfire or Governor-declared disaster, you may be able to carry your property tax base to a replacement home anywhere in California — up to three times, with the replacement bought within two years of the sale. If the new home costs more, the difference gets added on. It can be worth thousands a year, and it is routinely missed.
Selling in the City of LA
Sellers inside city limits must obtain a Residential Property Report (the “9A”) from LADBS and deliver it to the buyer before the sale closes. Neighboring cities have their own requirements and transfer taxes — we confirm which apply to your exact address, since LA is a patchwork.
Contingent offers in a tight market
An offer contingent on selling your current home is weaker than a clean one. Sometimes the fix is a bridge loan or a pre-listed home; sometimes it’s selling first with a long rent-back. The right answer depends on your cash position, not on a rule of thumb.
Timing around the school year
Families moving for a school boundary are usually working backward from an enrollment deadline. That deadline, not the market, should set the listing date — and it means starting earlier than most people expect.
Straight answers
The questions that keep move-up buyers awake
Should I sell first or buy first?
Selling first is the safer money move — you know exactly what you have and your offers are clean. Buying first is the safer life move — you know where you’re going. Which one is right comes down to how much cash you can access and how much uncertainty you can tolerate. We decide it deliberately at the start.
Can I make an offer without selling first?
Yes, but a contingent offer competes at a disadvantage. Depending on your equity and income, options include a bridge loan, a HELOC pulled before you list, or listing first with a long rent-back so you shop as a non-contingent buyer. Your lender and I will size these up together.
What is a rent-back and can I get one?
A rent-back lets you stay in the home after closing for an agreed period, usually paying the buyer something close to their daily carrying cost. It’s a very common bridge between two closings, and it’s negotiated as part of the offer — which is exactly why the offer terms matter as much as the price.
Will my property taxes jump on the new house?
Normally the new home is reassessed at its purchase price, so yes. The main exception is Proposition 19, which lets qualifying homeowners transfer their existing tax base. Whether you qualify depends on age, disability, or disaster status — and it’s worth checking with your tax advisor before you plan around it.
How long does a coordinated move take?
Plan on the prep and listing phase running several weeks before you’re even on the market, then escrow on top of that. The whole thing is usually a few months from first conversation to keys, which is why families working toward a school deadline should start well ahead of it.
Let’s build the sequence before you list
Bring me your current address and roughly where you want to land. I’ll come back with your net proceeds, three timelines, and an honest read on which one fits your family.
Alex Maldonado Miranda · Los Angeles Real Estate · (323) 688-4710 · Contact
Information on this page is general and educational, not legal, tax, or lending advice. Program rules, loan limits, and tax thresholds change — we’ll confirm what applies to your situation before you commit to anything.