Great question! Most sellers have always been confronted by this dilemma. What you need is an experienced agent who is able to juggle multiple deals for you and keep everything moving forward. First get financially qualified and then go research the market as a buyer. You need to know if you can afford what you are looking for. Simultaneously have the agent give you a price opinion on your home. This is key. You don’t want to shoot for the moon and have unrealistic expectations. You want to know the bottom line. What is your house going to sell for? You need to let your agent know that you are realistic. Deal with your agent honestly and upfront. All agents respond to honesty and loyalty. You will have a quick seamless deal, much more than if you are not. Realtors are to be valued for their knowledge. Guidance is what my office is known for. With the average experience of 20yrs or more you can’t go wrong. Don’t ever hesitate to contact me. Good Luck!

My Houlihan Lawrence associate in White Plains, Steve Geiger gave you great advice. I could not have said it better. What I'm not clear on is whether or not the buy and sell is in the same town or an area that one agent covers.

If in the same town or within a territory that your agent covers regularly, it will be helpful to have one agent cover both transactions so they he/she has all the information to guide you with each decision. If not in the same town, it is best when the agents are communicating with each other on your behalf. The best and easiest way to do this is to do your homework on the first agent choice and make sure you are pleased. Then ask for a referral from that agent for a professional agent in the other town/towns you need help with. Not only will you be sure to get good advice...but again everyone is working on your behalf to achieve your goal.

As an agent that covers Armonk, Chappaqua, Bedford and Pleasantville on a regular basis, I cannot possibly guide you correctly if you were to consider the Rivertowns on the Hudson, lower Westchester or the Rye/Harrison area, or even Connecticut for example. However my personal goal as an agent is to be my client's first call and then always point them in the right direction. This is how I have built my business and it has been very successful for my clients, my reputation and success as an agent.
Good luck with your search. If you need any more advice, feel free to call or e-mail me.

Dear A.B.,

There are two aspects to your acheive your goal. First you should have a market analysis done by a realtor to give you an idea of what your current home is worth with respect to the current market conditions. This will give you an idea as to what you could expect from the sale of your home. At the same time you should go to a reliable bank or reputable mortgage broker and get a pre approval as to what you can afford even before you sell your home. In obtaining this pre approval, you should provide your financial advisor with the information as to what you wish to spend in terms of a monthly payment towards your housing and he can then back you into the price of home you can afford to purchase.

Once you have all this information, you should see what is available in the market area that you are interested in. I would recommend putting your place on the market simultaneously with your search for a Condo. Even, if you receive offers on your home, you do not have to accept them and you will be in a stronger position if you do find something to purchase. No one will accept your offer on a home purchase if it is conditional upon the sale of your home.

Obviously, you do not want to be caught holding two properties but this is a decision you will make based on the financial information you get from your financial advisor. Remember, you are in control of the process and the realtor whom you choose is just an advisor and will guide you as to their expert advise with respect to the market.

You should interview several agents and ask them pointed questions with respect to your concerns and they should explain the entire process with respect to representing you on the selling side of your home as well as on the buying side. How your are respresented is critical.

If you have further questions, I would be happy to answer them without any obligation. You can go to my website or call me. Good luck.

Steve Geiger
Associate Broker
Houlihan Lawrence, Inc.
914-328-8400 ext 375

Hi, I will echo what the last agent stated. It sounds like you are trying to downsize, if you are this is a great time to buy. Now depending on when you bought your home will really make a difference in the amount of profit you'll make. I have worked with many buyers and sellers in this market and some advice I will give you is to make sure your home is REALLY ready to sell. What do I mean? Any little fixes you can make do it, consider a pre-listing inspection to get a handle on any issues that might stall or even kill a deal, if there are other homes for sale in your neighborhood the trick these days is to be the BEST value out of all of them. Market value has changed so even pricing 10 or 20k under what so called "market value" would be is a great way to sell fast. If you don't price the home properly you won't get the people in that may be willing to pay more. I specialize in walking thru a home in the eyes of a buyer and helping the seller really get their home in order. I can point out things that you may not even think will matter but will.

I would definitely get a buyer and a fully executed contract before making an offer on another property, the last thing you want id to find the place of your dreams and have a deal fall apart. I like to have a plan in motion, there is nothing wrong with looking and when you strike a deal on your home you already know what condo or complex you want to focus on. Our jobs as agents entail more then just showing properties we are consultants to help guide you through all of the paperwork, give sage advice, and make the process more enjoyable. If you would like assistance I would be more than happy to help, please feel free to visit my website below.

Sincerely,
Christopher Pagli
Associate Broker
Legends Realty Group
914.406.9023

This is what we recommend. List your home for sale first. Call your Realtor and get started. Price it right to sell because you will be selling at a low price but also buying at a low price, so go for it. In the meantime start looking for the condo. Ask for your Realtors help to stay on top of market so you will have a couple in mind when you get an offer on your property.

Work with the same Realtor for your purchase if at all possible. At least let her/him refer you if the condo is out of his/her area. As soon as you are under contract, try to make an offer on the condo of your choice with a contingency for the sale of your home. Be SURE that the sellers to whom you are making an offer know that you have a contract in your possession and agree to keep them informed as to the progress of same. There are so many properties available right now that you likely have a good chance for their agreement, especially if the time frame is reasonable.

Good luck.