Have a Home to Sell Before You Buy?

You can sell first, buy first, or tie the two together with a contingent offer or two closings scheduled a few days apart. The right choice depends on how much cash you can reach before your sale closes, whether you qualify for two payments, and how much of a gap or overlap you can live with.

Timing matters in Billings. The median accepted contract closed in 35 days, and about one in four sales closed with cash, from January 1 through October 21, 2026 (Billings MLS). An offer that depends on selling another home competes with those buyers, so the plan needs to be set before you write it.

The three ways to do it

• Sell first: you know your proceeds and can write an offer with no sale contingency. The cost is a possible gap, which a rent-back, a longer closing on your sale or a short-term rental can cover.
• Buy first: one move on your schedule. Buyers fund it with savings, a home equity line opened before they list, or a bridge loan, and carry two payments until the sale closes.
• Do both at once: a purchase contingent on your sale, or two closings timed together with the sale first and a buffer in case it slips.

What the guide covers

• The three options side by side, with what each one costs
• Billings MLS figures on how buyers paid and how long contracts took to close
• Questions for your lender about bridge loans, home equity lines and qualifying with two payments
• A two-home worksheet for your net, your available cash and your overlap limit

Moving to Billings from another state? A Billings Move Plan lays out both sides around your move date.

Gene Hauck, Real Estate Broker, REALTOR® | The Morales Group at Engel & Völkers Billings | 1921 1st Ave N, Billings, MT 59101 | Montana license RRE-BRO-LIC-135399 | 406-861-4844