The hard part of moving up to a bigger house in Thompson's Station isn't finding the house. It's that you have to sell one home and buy another, and the two sides almost never want the same calendar.
I've closed more than 500 transactions since I was licensed in 2013, and every move-up comes down to the same question. Which side goes first?
What is the real problem when you upsize in Thompson's Station?
The real problem is timing. If the money for your next down payment is sitting inside the house you live in now, your sale has to fund your purchase. And you still need somewhere to sleep the night after you close.
The bonus room, the bigger lot, the extra garage bay? That's the easy part. I can find you square footage. The sequence is where move-ups go sideways, so that's where I start.
Should you sell first or buy first in Thompson's Station?
There's no single right answer. It depends on how much of your next down payment is tied up in your current home and how much risk you're comfortable carrying. These are the three ways I sequence a move-up.
| Sequence | How it works | Where it can bite |
|---|---|---|
| Sell first | Your home goes under contract before you write an offer on the next one, so you know your real number. | You may need a lease-back or a short-term rental if the next house isn't ready. |
| Buy with a home-sale contingency | Your offer depends on your current home selling. | A seller holding a cleaner offer may pass on yours. It works best on homes that have sat a while and on some new construction. |
| Buy first with bridge financing | A bridge loan or a home equity line covers the down payment until your house sells. | You carry two payments for a stretch, and your lender has to sign off before you shop. |
How do I sequence a move-up in Thompson's Station?
I run both sides on one calendar, and I start with your sale, because your sale price sets your budget. Here's the order.
- I price your current home from closed sales in your own subdivision, so we know your equity before you fall for anything.
- You talk to your lender about the payment on the next house, and about whether a bridge loan or a home equity line belongs in your back pocket.
- I get your house ready for photos and onto the calendar while we tour the move-up homes.
- When we find the one, I write the offer around your sale: a contingency, a closing date that lines up, or a lease-back so you can stay put a little longer.
- I keep both closings talking to each other, so the title companies, the lenders and the other agents are all working off the same dates.
Where are the move-up homes around Thompson's Station?
A lot of the move-up inventory around here is new construction, in Thompson's Station and next door in Spring Hill. That helps your timing, because a home that's still being built gives your sale room to happen.
Builders write their own contracts, and I read every line of them. The deposit, the completion date and what happens if your current house hasn't sold are all spelled out in there, and none of it reads like a resale contract. If Spring Hill is on your list too, I wrote a separate piece on the county line and the newer communities there.
Why does it matter that I live in Thompson's Station?
Because I see this market from my own driveway. I live here, I'm out in it every day, and I've been investing in real estate for more than 20 years. I know what it's like to have my own money riding on a closing date.
A move-up is two of the biggest numbers in your life moving at the same time. You want someone running it who has felt that on his own side of the table.
“He helped us buy and sell a house. He was very patient with us because we were buying a house for 2 families. He always made time for us and answered all our silly questions and answered them quickly. I was super happy with the sale of our house because he got us over asking and he gave us realistic expectations which were exceeded.” Rebecca H.
What should you do first?
Find out what your current home would sell for before you tour a single bigger house. That one number decides which of the three sequences fits you, and it keeps you from falling for a house your equity can't reach yet.
If you're thinking about moving up in Thompson's Station, text or call me at 615-392-1186. I'll start with what your current home is worth.
Check out this article next
