This is an estimate for planning. It is not a quote, an appraisal, a loan offer, or tax or legal advice, and Rudy is a real estate agent, not a lender, attorney or tax professional.
The four paths in plain English
Sell first
You close on the current home first and buy with the proceeds already in the bank. A short rent-back keeps you in the house for a few weeks after closing, and a rental covers anything longer.
When owners often choose it: Owners who want a firm budget before writing an offer, or whose down payment depends on the sale.
Tradeoffs: There may be a stretch between homes, rent to pay for it, and a second move if the gap runs past the rent-back.
Same-day closings
You accept a buyer, let them clear their contingencies, then write a non-contingent offer on the next home and set both closings for the same day, with the sale funding the purchase.
When owners often choose it: Owners who want a single move and no rent, plus a buyer who can live with a later closing date.
Tradeoffs: Your buyer’s escrow runs longer than usual, and if one closing slips the other has to wait for it.
Contingent offer
Your offer on the next home carries a condition that this one sells first, written on C.A.R.’s COP addendum. The two escrows then close together.
When owners often choose it: Owners who find the right EastLake home before listing, when its seller is open to waiting on a sale.
Tradeoffs: Some sellers say yes and some don’t, and when several buyers are bidding a cleaner offer may win. You and the seller agree how long the condition lasts and whether the home stays on the market meanwhile.
Buy first with equity
You borrow against the home you’re leaving, through an equity line opened before you list or a bridge loan, to cover the down payment. You buy, move once, then sell, and the sale pays the equity loan off.
When owners often choose it: Owners with strong equity who want one move and time to get the old house ready for photos.
Tradeoffs: Two housing payments until the sale closes, interest and fees on the equity loan, and a lender who has to approve you while you own both.
Rent-backs: put it in writing
A rent-back belongs in your sale contract, not in a handshake. Stays of 29 days or fewer usually go on C.A.R.’s Seller in Possession addendum (SIP), while 30 days or longer use a Residential Lease After Sale (RLAS), which makes your buyer your landlord under California rental law (San Diego Association of REALTORS®, August 2025). Your buyer needs the home too, so settle the length while you negotiate.
Contingent offers
C.A.R.’s COP addendum, revised in June 2024, is the standard way to make a purchase depend on your sale. It spells out your selling deadline, whether the seller may keep showing their home and what happens if a second offer turns up in the meantime. Rudy fills it in with you and walks through each blank.
Questions to ask your lender
- Can you approve me while I still own my EastLake home? Fannie Mae’s guide counts both payments unless the current home is under contract and its buyer’s financing contingencies are cleared.
- Could I set up an equity line on the EastLake house now, while it isn’t listed, and how would its rate be set and adjusted?
- Do you make bridge loans, what do they cost, and how is that payment counted?
- How long can you lock my rate, and what would an extension cost if a closing date moves?
Owners 55 and older: Proposition 19 timing
If you’re 55 or older, severely disabled, or lost a home to a wildfire or disaster, Proposition 19 can let you carry your property tax base to a replacement home bought or built within 2 years of selling, whether you buy before or after the sale. A move up within EastLake meets a value test: the replacement is compared with 100% of your old home’s value if bought before the sale, 105% within the first year after and 110% within the second, and any amount above that is added to the base you bring.
Buying first has one wrinkle the Board of Equalization spells out: the transfer takes effect as of the later of the two transactions, so the replacement is taxed at full value until then, with no refund. The county assessor decides who qualifies, and a tax adviser can check your timing.
Want the tax side with your own figures? The downsizing calculator runs it.
About these numbers
- Calendar days from your start date; weekends are flagged in the table but never shifted.
- Once both homes close, every path leaves the same equity. What differs is the cash you need along the way and each path’s added costs.
- Rent, both payments and equity-loan interest are prorated day by day.
- Tax on any gain from your sale isn’t included, so ask your CPA; your lender sets rates, limits and approval.
Questions owners ask
Can I keep living in my EastLake home after it sells?
Often, if your buyer agrees. A short rent-back of 29 days or fewer is usually written on the SIP addendum, and anything longer becomes a lease after sale. Ask early so it is part of the offer you accept.
Will a seller in another village accept an offer that depends on my sale?
Some will, particularly when their home has been listed for a while. A contingent offer is less appealing when several buyers are competing, so a strong price, a quick plan to list and proof of your equity help.
How much do I need to buy before I sell?
Enough for the down payment and closing costs on the next home, from savings or an equity loan, plus room to carry both payments until your sale closes. The buy-first column shows both, and a lender confirms what you qualify for.
What happens if my sale or my purchase is delayed?
On the same-day path the closings are tied together, so a delay on one holds the other. Change the escrow length or the days on the market in the form to see how a few extra weeks move the dates and the costs.
Sources: Zillow Research home values, rents and days to pending (Sep 2026); Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (Oct 29, 2026); FRED bank prime loan rate (Oct 27, 2026); NAR 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers (summary) (Dec 8, 2025); Freddie Mac: budgeting for upfront homebuying costs (Jun 4, 2025); California Civil Code 1675; CFPB: private mortgage insurance (Aug 28, 2023); CFPB: home equity lines of credit (Aug 28, 2026); Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-6-06 (Sep 2, 2026); C.A.R. list of standard forms (Oct 30, 2026); San Diego Association of REALTORS®: post-closing occupancy (Aug 27, 2025); California State Board of Equalization: Proposition 19 (Oct 30, 2026). Your contracts, your lender and the county assessor have the final word on your own dates, loan and taxes.
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