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

The honest answer is that one size doesn't fit everyone. Here's a quick guide to what points toward each option:

• Your current home is already under contract → Sale contingency (Home Settlement version) is viable and likely accepted.
• You have strong equity and want the cleanest possible offer → Bridge loan or HELOC, assuming you can cover the carrying costs.
• Your home will sell fast and you want to avoid carrying two mortgages entirely → Sell first, negotiate a leaseback, then buy clean.
• You're buying new construction with a 6–12 month build window → A contingency may work well — builders often have flexibility on closing dates that resale sellers don't.

The communities that come with longer build timelines — Furst Ranch in west Flower Mound, Whyburn by David Weekley in central Flower Mound, the Argyle communities like Harvest and Canyon Falls — can actually make this easier. If you're writing a contract on a home that won't close for 8 months, your current home doesn't need to be sold today. That changes the calculus entirely.

The exercise I run with every move-up client before we do anything else: map both timelines. What does your current home realistically look like to price, prepare, and sell? What does the search and offer process look like in your target neighborhoods? When those timelines are clear, the right structure becomes obvious. When they're not clear, people make expensive guesses.

Texas Closing Details That Catch People Off Guard

A few Texas-specific details worth knowing before you get to the closing table.

Property taxes are paid in arrears. When you sell mid-year, the title company calculates how many days of the tax year you owned the home and credits that estimated amount to the buyer at closing. On a Southlake home at the $1.35M median, with an effective property tax rate in Tarrant County around 1.8–2.1%, a mid-year proration can run $12,000–$20,000 depending on your specific assessed value. That's a meaningful line item on your net sheet — don't be surprised by it.

Title companies handle the closing. Texas doesn't use attorneys for standard residential closings. You'll work through a title company for both transactions. Allegiance Title and Trinity Title are both well-regarded in Denton County and the surrounding area. If you're coordinating a same-day double close — selling your current home and closing your purchase on the same day — let the title company know in advance. They need to coordinate the funding sequence between both closings, and surprises on that day are not what anyone wants.

Texas has no real estate transfer tax. Unlike many other states, Texas sellers don't pay a transfer tax on the sale of their home. One less line item to worry about.

Every situation is different. Your specific net proceeds, your timeline, and which option fits best all depend on your home's condition, your price point, your target neighborhood, and what your lender qualifies you for under a simultaneous transaction. That's exactly what a Move-Up Strategy Call is designed to work through before you commit to any path.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should I sell before buying or buy before selling in Texas?

It depends on your equity position and how competitive the homes you want are. In NW DFW, the most common clean path for move-up families is a leaseback: you sell first, negotiate a 30–60 day leaseback from the buyer, then use your confirmed sale proceeds to make a non-contingent offer on the next home. This avoids carrying two mortgages and gives you the strongest possible offer position.

What is the TREC Addendum for Sale of Other Property?

It's the Texas-specific contract addendum that makes your home purchase contingent on selling your current home. There are two versions: the Home Settlement Contingency (your home is already under contract — sellers accept this more readily) and the Sale and Settlement Contingency (your home is not yet under contract — most sellers add a 72-hour kick-out clause). Your agent should know which version fits your situation and how to present it to a seller favorably.

How does a bridge loan work for a move-up buyer in Texas?

A bridge loan is a short-term loan secured by your current home's equity, used to fund the down payment on your next home before your sale closes. In 2026, bridge loan rates in Texas run 8–10% with 1.5–3% origination fees and terms of 6–12 months. They're paid off when your current home closes. They work well when your home is priced competitively and expected to sell within 30–60 days. A HELOC is a lower-cost alternative (around 7.3% in mid-2026) but must be opened before you list your current home.

What is a leaseback in real estate?

A leaseback means you sell your home and close the sale, but negotiate an agreement to remain in the home as a renter for 30–90 days. You pay daily rent equal to the buyer's PITI. This gives you confirmed sale proceeds in hand to use toward your next purchase while maintaining a place to live during the transition. It's one of the most effective tools for coordinating a clean move-up transaction in a competitive market.

How long does it take to sell a home in Southlake, TX?

In 2026, Southlake homes are averaging 49–68 days on market. Well-priced homes in desirable neighborhoods can move faster. Budget a 60–75 day window from active listing to closing, plus 30–45 additional days if you negotiate a leaseback into the sale. Flower Mound homes tend to move more quickly, averaging 20–35 days on market — which can make the leaseback-then-buy sequence easier to time.

Selling and buying at the same time is a coordination problem, not a luck problem. Get the structure right before you start, and the rest follows.

If you're planning a move like this, schedule a free Move-Up Strategy Call at https://calendar.app.google/97azYbhaxPMgw2qq7 — thirty minutes, no pitch, just a clear-headed look at where you are and what your best next move looks like.

About Brian White

Brian White helps families in Northwest DFW make their move-up cleanly — selling and buying in one synchronized step. He built BlueFuse Group on a simple standard: other-first service, proactive at every turn, faith and excellence in equal measure. Brian has been married to Tisha for 27 years and is dad to three adult sons. When he's not protecting a family's equity or untangling a tight closing timeline, you'll find him chasing a round of golf or at Valley Creek Church.

Schedule a Move-Up Strategy Call at https://calendar.app.google/97azYbhaxPMgw2qq7 — no pitch, just a clear-headed look at your next move.