AW First, let’s estimate the equity that exists—not the amount you can automatically borrow.
Step 1 · Your current home
What could be left when this home sells? Home value is not cash. The mortgage, liens, selling expenses, and adjustments have to come out before the remaining proceeds can support the move.
Estimated sale proceeds before bridge repayment
Usable savings after reserve
Why available equity is not the same as sale proceeds A lender may limit borrowing to a percentage of the home’s value, order an appraisal, subtract existing liens, require reserves, and apply product-specific underwriting. The sale proceeds occur later and must also repay any bridge balance that used the same equity.
AW Now we build the cash and payment side of the next purchase.
Step 2 · Your next home
How much has to be ready before your sale closes? The down payment and buyer closing costs create the immediate cash target. The mortgage, taxes, insurance, HOA, and possible PMI create the ongoing payment.
New mortgage term 30 years 20 years 15 years
Property-tax planning locality Fairfax County City of Fairfax Arlington County City of Alexandria Loudoun County Town of Leesburg Prince William County Stafford County City of Fredericksburg City of Falls Church Fairfax County · FY 2027 base planning rate; reviewed August 2026.
Purchase cash needed before the sale
New mortgage amount
Estimated new monthly housing cost
What is inside the monthly estimate? Principal and interest, base property tax, entered insurance, HOA or condo dues, and planning PMI when the down payment is below 20%. It does not replace a Loan Estimate or property-specific insurance and tax records.
AW This section is a stress test. The lender—not this page—decides what equity can be accessed and whether you can carry the overlap.
Step 3 · Buy-first scenario
What happens if the next purchase closes first? We use a cautious, editable combined-loan-to-value placeholder. The calculation borrows only what the purchase cash needs and never counts the same bridge proceeds twice.
Maximum modeled bridge capacity
Bridge amount actually needed
Purchase cash gap before sale
Peak monthly obligations during overlap
Why a lender may still count both homes Fannie Mae guidance says the current and proposed housing payments may both be used when the current residence is pending sale but will not transfer before the new purchase, unless specified contract and financing-contingency documentation supports different treatment. Your lender must review the exact file.
Why bridge interest may not reduce the balance Some short-term loans are interest-only or accrue interest until payoff. Interest-only payments do not reduce principal, and balloon features can require a large payoff. Use the actual written terms instead of assuming every bridge works the same way.
AW Now we price the inconvenience of selling first so the comparison is fair.
Step 4 · Sell-first alternative
What would temporary housing and a second move cost? Selling first can reduce financing uncertainty, but temporary rent, storage, pet fees, deposits, and another move are real costs. Enter what your household would actually face.
Extra move and setup cost $
Estimated sell-first transition cost
Planned buy-first timing cost
Longer-sale stress cost
What is excluded from this comparison? The ordinary new-home payment is visible in the peak-obligation result but excluded from the timing-cost comparison because it continues after the move and is not created solely by the sequence. Taxes, tax benefits, rate locks, appraisal changes, and contract acceptance are not modeled.
AW Here is the worksheet I would use to decide what needs a lender quote and what needs a property-specific sale plan.
Your planning result
Your timing plan, in one view Purchase cash needed before sale
Usable savings
Modeled bridge
Buy-first funding gap
Peak monthly obligations
Planned buy-first timing cost
Sell-first transition cost
Sale proceeds remaining after bridge payoff
This result tests cash flow and timing. It is not an approval, commitment, appraisal, rate quote, or promise that a seller will accept an offer without a home-sale contingency.
Timing-cost comparison
How the added costs change if the sale takes longer The green buy-first cost grows with each month of current-home payment and bridge interest. The orange sell-first estimate uses the temporary-housing assumptions you entered.
Buy first Sell first
Incremental timing-cost comparison at one, three, six, and selected overlap months.
View the accessible timing-cost table Overlap Buy-first timing cost Sell-first transition estimate
Change one answer without starting over Want to keep this estimate? Submit your email and I will quality-check the worksheet before sending it.
No cost · No obligation
Want to review the actual homes and timing? I can prepare the current-home market analysis, discuss the next-home target, and identify which numbers need written lender or settlement quotes.
Schedule a review with Abraham Common questions
What I would want you to understand before choosing the sequence Is this a bridge-loan approval? No. It is an educational cash-flow model. A lender evaluates income, debts, credit, assets, reserves, appraisal, lien position, occupancy, program rules, and documentation.
Will the lender count both mortgage payments? It may. The treatment depends on whether your current home is pending sale, when title will transfer, the executed contract, cleared financing contingencies, and the loan program. Fannie Mae’s published guidance is linked below, but your lender must apply the current rules to your file.
Is a HELOC the same as a bridge loan? No. A HELOC is a revolving line secured by the current home and commonly has a variable rate. A bridge or swing loan is short-term financing structured for a transition. Fees, payment structures, access limits, lien positions, and underwriting vary.
Why does the calculator subtract the bridge from later sale proceeds? The bridge used equity before the sale. Subtracting it later prevents the same equity from appearing once as purchase cash and again as untouched sale proceeds.
What if the current home sells for less? Lower the expected sale price with the adjustment control. The model will reduce bridge capacity and later proceeds. A lower appraisal can also affect borrowing capacity before the sale.
Does a home-sale contingency solve the cash problem? It can align the transactions, but it does not automatically make the offer acceptable or remove all timing risk. Contract terms, market conditions, current-home status, and the seller’s alternatives matter.
What about a rent-back? A post-settlement occupancy agreement may reduce temporary-housing pressure after your sale, but its availability, duration, deposit, insurance, and lender requirements are contractual and property-specific.
Does this include capital-gains tax or tax deductions? No. Tax treatment depends on individual facts and cannot be responsibly inferred from these inputs. Ask a qualified tax adviser.
Important limitations
Use this as a planning conversation, not an official quote. Educational estimate. This tool is not financial, lending, legal, tax, insurance, appraisal, or settlement advice; a credit decision or preapproval; a commitment to lend; a property valuation; or a guarantee of costs, proceeds, eligibility, or future results.
Historical market information is context only. Past performance does not guarantee or predict future appreciation, resale value, market conditions, or investment results. Scenario outputs are illustrations, not forecasts.
No brokerage relationship is created. Using this tool, requesting results, submitting a form, or contacting Ask A Walker does not by itself create a client, agency, brokerage, fiduciary, or other professional relationship. Any representation will be described in a separate written agreement signed by the applicable parties.
