How do you sell your home and buy another one at the same time in Texas?

In Texas, you have three main paths: a sale contingency (using the TREC Addendum for Sale of Other Property), a bridge loan or HELOC that funds your purchase before your sale closes, or a leaseback arrangement where you sell your current home and rent it back short-term while you close on the next one. Each carries different costs and risks. In Southlake and the broader NW DFW corridor, where move-up families often carry significant equity, the leaseback strategy has become the most common clean path forward. The right approach depends on your equity position, your target market's competitiveness, and how flexible your timing is.

By Brian White | June 30, 2026

The question I hear most from families in Southlake, Flower Mound, and the surrounding corridor isn't "should we move?" They've already decided that. It's this: "How do we actually do both at the same time without losing the next house or getting stuck carrying two mortgages?"

That's a legitimate concern. Coordinating a simultaneous sell-and-buy is one of the more complex real estate transactions there is. But it's also one that happens every day in this market — when it's planned correctly.

Here's what you need to know before you start.

The Real Problem You're Solving

When you sell a home and buy another one at the same time, you're managing four moving timelines at once:

• The listing, marketing, and sale of your current home
• The search, offer, and negotiation process for the next home
• The financing for the purchase (which depends on your current home's equity)
• The closing coordination between both transactions

Any one of those can slip. The families who get this right don't do it by luck — they do it by choosing a transaction structure that accounts for the gap between the two closings before that gap becomes a problem.

In Texas, you have three main paths.

Option 1: The Sale Contingency

This is what most people imagine first — you write an offer on a new home that's contingent on your current home selling first.

Texas has a specific contract form for this: the TREC Addendum for Sale of Other Property. There are two versions, and the difference matters.

Home Settlement Contingency is used when your current home is already under contract. This is the stronger version. The seller knows there's a defined closing date coming, which dramatically reduces their risk. Sellers accept this more readily.

Sale and Settlement Contingency is used when your home is not yet under contract. Because the seller has no guarantee of how long it will take you to find a buyer, most sellers include a kick-out clause. That clause gives them the right to continue marketing the home and accept a backup offer. If another buyer steps up, you typically get 72 hours to either remove the contingency or walk away.

In Southlake's current market, where serious buyers compete for limited inventory and homes are averaging 49–68 days on market, contingent offers face real resistance. They're not a dealbreaker — but they require careful positioning. If your current home is priced and ready to move, that changes the calculus significantly.

Option 2: Bridge Loan or HELOC

If you have equity in your current home and want to make a clean, non-contingent offer on the next one, a bridge loan or home equity line of credit can fund your down payment before your sale closes.

Here's what the numbers look like in 2026:

• Bridge loans in Texas typically carry 8–10% interest, 6–12 month terms, and 1.5–3% origination fees. They're paid off when your current home closes. They work well when your home is competitively priced and you expect it to sell within 30–60 days.
• HELOCs are running around 7.3% in mid-2026 — meaningfully lower than bridge loan rates. The critical detail: a HELOC must be opened while you still own the current home. You can't open one after you've listed it, and definitely not after you're under contract. If you think this is your path, set it up early.

The math here matters. On a $900,000 home in Flower Mound with a $300,000 remaining mortgage, you're sitting on roughly $600,000 in equity. A bridge loan or HELOC lets you access a portion of that equity before the sale closes — which means your offer on the next home arrives clean, with no contingencies and a real closing date.

The tradeoff is carrying costs. If you're making two mortgage payments for 60 days, that's real money — budget $3,000–$6,000 a month depending on your loan balances. Plan for it rather than getting surprised by it at closing.

Option 3: The Leaseback

This is the most commonly overlooked option — and in the Southlake, Flower Mound, and NW DFW market, often the cleanest path available to move-up families.

Here's how it works: you sell your current home and close the sale, but negotiate a leaseback agreement with the buyer. You stay in the home for 30–60 days (sometimes up to 90, depending on what the buyer agrees to), paying daily rent that's typically pegged to the buyer's PITI (principal, interest, taxes, and insurance on their new mortgage).

What you've accomplished: you've closed your sale, the proceeds are confirmed, and now you can make a non-contingent offer on the next home backed by real money in hand rather than a contingency promise.

The leaseback works best in markets where buyers are willing to close quickly but aren't in a rush to move in. That describes a meaningful portion of buyers active in North Texas — corporate relocation buyers with flexible start dates, buyers who need time to wrap up their own prior home, investors planning a future conversion. In Flower Mound, where homes have been moving in 20–35 days, there are often buyers willing to trade flexibility for a clean deal.

Southlake is different. At the $1.35M median price point, buyers tend to be more deliberate, and a 30–45 day leaseback is a reasonable ask. It's a negotiation, not a guarantee — but it's a tool worth having in your plan.

Choosing the Right Path for Your Situation

There's no single right answer — the best structure depends on your equity, your timeline flexibility, and how competitive your target market is.

• If your current home is priced right and likely to sell fast, a sale contingency with a home settlement contingency addendum can work fine, especially if you're not competing against non-contingent offers.
• If you have strong equity and want a clean, competitive offer, a bridge loan or HELOC removes the contingency entirely — at the cost of carrying two payments for a defined window.
• If you want to avoid financing costs altogether and your buyer is flexible on move-in timing, a leaseback lets you sell first, bank the proceeds, and shop with confidence.

Most of the families I work with in Southlake end up combining elements — for example, lining up a HELOC as a backstop while also negotiating for leaseback flexibility with their buyer. Having more than one lever available is what keeps a transaction from becoming stressful.

Texas Closing Details That Catch People Off Guard

A few state-specific details worth knowing going in:

• Texas is a title-company-closing state, not an attorney-closing state, so your timeline runs through title company scheduling rather than attorney calendars — this typically moves faster than in many other states.
• Homestead exemption timing matters. If you close on your new home in the same tax year, make sure your homestead exemption filing is handled correctly to avoid a gap in your property tax benefit.
• Property tax proration at closing is standard practice, but double-check how it's calculated if you're closing near a MUD or PID district boundary, since assessed rates can shift the numbers more than buyers expect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make an offer on a new home before my current home sells?
Yes — through a sale contingency using the TREC Addendum for Sale of Other Property, or by securing bridge financing that lets you close without waiting for your sale to complete.

What's the difference between a bridge loan and a HELOC?
A bridge loan is a short-term loan specifically for the transition period, typically at a higher rate (8–10%) with an origination fee. A HELOC is a line of credit against your existing equity, generally cheaper (around 7.3%), but it must be set up before you list your home for sale.

How long can a leaseback last in Texas?
Most leasebacks run 30–60 days, though some buyers will agree to up to 90 days depending on their own timeline and financing situation. It's fully negotiable as part of the sale contract.

Will sellers accept a contingent offer in a competitive market like Southlake?
It's harder, but not impossible. A home settlement contingency (where your home is already under contract) is far more palatable to sellers than a sale and settlement contingency with a kick-out clause.

What happens if my home doesn't sell in time?
This is exactly why bridge loans, HELOCs, and leasebacks exist — they decouple your purchase timeline from your sale timeline so a slower-than-expected sale doesn't put your new purchase at risk.

Ready to Map Out Your Move?

Every move-up situation in Southlake and the NW DFW area is a little different — your equity position, your target neighborhood, and your timeline all shape which of these three paths makes the most sense. If you're planning a simultaneous sell-and-buy, let's talk through your specific numbers and build a plan before you list.

About Brian White: Brian White is the founder of BlueFuse Realty, serving Southlake, Flower Mound, and the greater NW DFW corridor. He works with move-up families navigating the exact contingency, financing, and timing decisions covered in this guide.