Should I Sell My Vancouver Condo First And Then Buy? Or Vice-Versa?

July 3rd, 2008 Categories: Real Estate Definitions, Vancouver Real Estate

What is the best way to sell and buy another Vancouver condo?

It’s a first time sellers dilemma. When you left the rental market and bought your first condo it was easy. Now you must figure out how to get your equity out of one condo so that you can purchase another one. A recent client experienced this situation, so I thought it would make a good blog post.

Buy first then sell? Sell first then buy? It is a question I am often asked by first time sellers.

My answer to you is that your decision depends on a number of considerations.

What is your personality? How risk adverse are you? What are the current Vancouver market conditions, is it a buyers or sellers market? Are you purchasing a brand new condo or a resale condo. can you secure bridge financing at the bank?

Generally speaking, in a seller’s market, when prices are rising, it makes more sense to buy first because it is easier to sell than buy. If you sold first it may take you half a year to find another home and because the prices are rising, you may shut yourself out of the market. Also, most buyers want to move within 90 days so you may have to rent until you find a place to buy. Ideally you could try to get the buyer to close quickly and rent back to you til you find another condo.

You should always make sure the bank will bridge your financing for the home you are buying in case the current home doesn’t sell in time or the buyer can’t close when you have to close on the new purchase.

In a buyer’s market, when prices are soft or falling, it makes sense to sell first because it is easier to buy than it is to sell. You then know exactly how much you will net from the sale of your present home and are able to take advantage of the falling prices as a buyer. Or you may rent and ride the downturn out and really make a profit.

If you already own a Vancouver condo and purchase a pre-sale, it is relatively straight forward. The developer usually gives a set date (or used to) and will close within 30 days of that date. Therefore, you can sell your current home three to five months prior to the developer’s closing date and have ample time.

Another scenario is for the buyer to make an offer on a Vancouver condo they wish to purchase “subject to the sale of their property within a certain time frame…usually 30-60 days, depending on market conditions. The seller will insert a “time clause” into the contract which says that he will continue to market his condo and if he receives another acceptable offer, that is subject free, he will give you 24 or 48 hours to remove all of your subject clauses or you lose your option to purchase. The latter depends on whether or not your condo has an offer on it and if the bank will give you bridge financing.

Sellers wont take “subject to offers” in a seller’s market.

On occasion I have been in the situation whereby I am acting as a buyer agent and the seller’s agent has not inserted a time clause because they are not a knowledgeable agent.

Buying or selling a Vancouver condo, please fill out my contact form. Did you know you can search for properties on this site?

What is your experience with buying and selling your Vancouver condo? Did the transactions go smoothly or did you run into some unexpected surprises…good or bad? What would you have done differently?

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