Thinking About Selling Your Home? First, Where Will You Go?

I hear this from homeowners this all the time: I don’t want to be homeless. 😂

Sounds obvious, right? But it’s actually a HUGE part of deciding whether (or when) to sell. For many homeowners, selling isn’t really the first decision. The first decision is:

“If I sell this place…where the heck will I go?”

If you’re downsizing, upsizing, moving closer to family, or trading the house for a condo, you need to know your next move actually exists. And you need to know the numbers work....before you’re comfortable putting a For Sale sign in the yard.

Selling Your Home Is Only Half the Plan 

That’s why when I talk with a potential seller, I don’t immediately start yammering about list price, staging & how fabulous my marketing is. 😇

First, I want to know:

What happens after you sell?

Because your answer changes everything.

Maybe we need to find a smaller condo with an elevator, a big balcony & room for the grandkids. Maybe you want a comparable or larger home nearby, but you need the proceeds from this house before you can buy it. Maybe you’d rather rent for six months and wait until exactly the right property comes along.

Or maybe you’re not buying anything at all.

Not Every Seller Is Also a Buyer

Some Florida homeowners are selling a second home or vacation property and heading back to their primary residence up north. Maybe the proceeds are going into investments. A trust. The kids’ or grandkids’ college fund. Or maybe you’ve spent decades being responsible and would finally like to spend some of that equity on yourself. Also an excellent option.

The point is, there is no universal “next step.” And until we know yours, it’s pretty hard to build the right selling plan.

Your Exit Strategy Affects Your Selling Strategy

This is the part sellers sometimes miss.

What you plan to do AFTER the sale can change how you handle the sale itself.

Do you need to find another property before we list? Do we need to coordinate two closings? Would you need a leaseback or extra time to move? Should we be watching the market for your next home before yours ever hits the MLS? Or are you free to sell, close, take the money & run?

Different situations call for different strategies.

Sometimes the First Step Isn’t Listing Your Home

Sometimes the smartest first step is simply figuring out what your options are. What could you realistically sell your current property for? What would that leave you with? Are there homes or condos out there with what you want at a .

Again: Sellers don’t want to be homeless. 😂

Start With Where You Want to End Up

If you’re thinking about selling, we don’t have to start with paperwork, photographers or a For Sale sign. We can start with a conversation.

Where do you want to go next?

Then we figure out whether the market, your current home value & the numbers can get you there. And if they can?

Work backward from there.

Because your exit strategy affects your selling strategy.

Jennie Blackburn
Blackburn Coastal Realty

Thinking about selling your home or condo? Let’s figure out what your next move looks like. (727) 496-6112