How Arizona Homeowners Can Buy Before They Sell

By Dave Zajdzinski

Dave Zajdzinski and the team bring 40 + years of real estate experience to home buyers and sellers throughout Arizona.

If you’ve ever thought about selling your home and buying a new one but dreaded the idea of moving twice, or writing a contingent offer and hoping it all lines up, I want to show you a better way to do it. After 22 years and over 2,000 home sales, I’ve built programs and partnerships specifically designed to help homeowners buy before they sell, and the results speak for themselves.

How the wealthy do real estate. I always tell people, the wealthy do real estate the right way. They’re not compromised by contingencies. They don’t have to beg a seller to wait while their current home sells. They show up as cash buyers, they negotiate from a position of strength, and they move on their own timeline. The problem is that most homeowners don’t have the cash sitting around to do it that way. That’s exactly what buy-before-you-sell programs are designed to solve. They give regular homeowners the same flexibility that cash buyers have, without needing the cash upfront.

My family used this approach on our last move. I’m not just recommending something I’ve seen work for clients. My wife, my five kids, and I did this ourselves. We moved into our current home without having to sell our last property first. We took our time, did some repairs on the new place before we moved in, and then handled the previous home on our own schedule. We actually ended up turning it into a rental, which was the best decision we could have made. That kind of flexibility changes the entire experience.

The math behind buying first. When you buy first as a non-contingent cash buyer, you can negotiate aggressively. On my own purchase, I was able to beat the seller down on price because I could close in two weeks and offer a rent-back. That kind of flexibility lets you dictate the terms instead of accepting whatever the seller gives you. Typically, I see buyers saving around 5% on the purchase side when they’re in that position.

Then on the sell side, because you’ve already moved out, your old home can be properly prepared and staged before it goes on the market. That doesn’t mean a full renovation. It means looking at the home’s current condition, identifying the minor repairs that will make the biggest impact, and presenting it at its absolute best. Homes that are repaired, staged, and vacant for showings typically sell for about 5% to 6% more than homes that are lived in and listed as-is. When you combine the savings on the buy side with the premium on the sell side, you’re looking at roughly 10% net gain across both transactions on large purchases.

The programs have fees, but the math still works. These programs aren’t free, and I’m upfront about that. There are costs involved, and when we sit down together, I’ll walk you through exactly what the fees are for the program you qualify for. But even after accounting for those fees, the majority of my clients come out ahead. For most homeowners who go this route, it’s a profit center, not a cost center. Plus, you take away all the anxiety and uncertainty and get a more secure process by doing it this way.

If you’re thinking about making a move, let’s talk. I’ll walk you through which programs you qualify for, what the fees look like, and whether buying before selling makes sense for your specific situation. Call or text me at 480-933-1235, email me at dave@zteamaz.com, or visit zteamaz.com. Let’s see if one of these programs works well for you.