How to Remove a Home Sale Contingency Without Selling Your House First

You’ve found the home you want, but your current house hasn’t sold yet. For many homeowners, that’s when a home sale contingency can feel like an anchor.

You need the equity in your current house for a down payment, but a home sale contingency can make your offer less competitive

And the challenge appears to be growing. In a recent HomeLight Lender Insights survey, 41% of loan officers reported an increase in home purchases falling through because of contingency clauses.

Fortunately, modern solutions such as Buy Before You Sell programs, bridge loans, and HELOCs can help you access your equity so you can make an offer without a home sale contingency.

Yes, You Can Buy Before You Sell. Why Move Twice?

Through our Buy Before You Sell program, HomeLight can help you unlock a portion of your equity upfront to put toward your next home. You can then make a strong offer on your next home with no home sale contingency.

Buy Before You Sell

Why home sale contingencies are harder today

High home prices and elevated mortgage rates have reduced affordability for many would-be buyers, shrinking the pool of people actively shopping for homes.

At the same time, millions of homeowners remain locked into pandemic-era mortgage rates well below today’s levels, contributing to a market where many would-be movers are staying put.

“People are stuck in their 3% or lower mortgage rate and feel like bridge financing or buy-before-you-sell solutions are too expensive, so they feel paralyzed,” explains Jennifer Asbury, a Colorado loan officer with 33 years of experience.

For move-up buyers, that can create a frustrating cycle. You may find the right next home, but if you’re relying on proceeds from your current home to complete the purchase, you’re left waiting for your property to sell first.

The easiest way to remove a home sale contingency

One of the easiest ways to remove a home sale contingency is to access your existing home equity before your current home sells.

Innovative programs such as HomeLight Buy Before You Sell help eligible homeowners unlock equity and use it toward the purchase of their next home. This allows you to make a stronger offer without tying the transaction to the sale of your current property.

“The opportunity of access to home equity versus the sting of losing a historically low interest rate seems to have finally reached the tipping point that favors consumers moving forward with renewed hope and plans,” says Jeri Creson, a Louisiana loan officer with more than 40 years of experience.

Rather than waiting for your current home to sell, you may be able to purchase first, move on your timeline, and sell afterward.

How HomeLight Buy Before You Sell works

HomeLight’s Buy Before You Sell program is designed to help homeowners like you access equity from their current home before listing it for sale.

Here’s how the process works:

1. Get approved and unlock your equity

Talk with your loan officer to determine whether you qualify. HomeLight Home Loans will evaluate your property and determine how much equity may be available to help fund your next purchase.

2. Shop for your next home and make a stronger offer

With access to your equity, you can shop for your next home and make an offer without a home sale contingency.

This can make your offer more attractive to sellers while helping you avoid the uncertainty of trying to coordinate two transactions at once.

3. Move first, then sell

After you move into your new home, your real estate agent can list your previous property.

Because the home is vacant, you may have more flexibility when preparing it for showings and attracting the strongest possible offer.

“A lot of buyers don’t have to wait until selling to make a move because they have so much equity to tap into,” says Georgia loan officer JP Poreba. “They are completing their home purchase by accessing funds from their current home (via HomeLight, HELOC, etc.), then selling their home after moving.”

Benefits of Buy Before You Sell

• Unlock equity in your current home before selling
• Make an offer without a home sale contingency
• Move once instead of twice
• Avoid temporary housing and storage costs
• Sell your current home on a timeline that works for you

Ashlee Sheppard, an Atlanta-based loan officer, recently told USA Today how HomeLight Buy Before You Sell can help homeowners, agents, and lenders:

“It allows the client to move to their next home without selling their departing residence. It also allows them to unlock equity, if it’s available, to use for a down payment. It allows an agent to structure an offer with no sale contingency, which is what everybody loves. And as the lender, I can omit their first mortgage payment, so I don’t have to qualify them for two mortgage payments at once.”

How Much Is Your Home Worth Now?

Home values have rapidly increased in recent years. How much is your current home worth now? Get a ballpark estimate from HomeLight’s free Home Value Estimator.

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Other ways to remove a home sale contingency

While a buy-before-you-sell program may be an attractive solution for many homeowners, it’s not the only option.

Bridge loan

A bridge loan provides short-term financing that can help cover the gap between buying a new home and selling your current one.

Bridge loans can offer flexibility, but they often come with higher costs and qualification requirements than traditional mortgage financing. Because they are designed to be temporary, borrowers typically repay the loan once their current home sells.

For homeowners who have substantial equity but need access to funds before closing on a sale, a bridge loan can provide a path forward and help remove a home sale contingency from their offer.

HELOC or home equity loan

A home equity line of credit (HELOC) or home equity loan (HEL) allows you to borrow against your existing home’s equity.

“In the current market, the interest in HELOCs is growing dramatically,” says Pennsylvania loan officer Marty Nicoll. In fact, 53% of lenders say a HELOC is the most common borrowing option homeowners use to access equity today.

Having an approved HELOC on standby can give you immediate access to funds in the face of an imminent need or opportunity. However, with a HELOC or HEL, carefully consider the repayment obligations and qualification requirements before moving forward.

Use your equity to strengthen your next purchase

Accessing your home’s equity can fund a down payment, but it can also provide an opportunity to improve your overall financial position before making a move.

“The biggest trend I see right now is that buyers are using the equity in their current home to pay off debt and put a significant down payment on their next home,” says Florida loan officer Amber Rowley.

Having access to equity can increase purchasing power, reduce monthly debt obligations, and provide additional financial flexibility during a move.

In a Q3 2025 HomeLight survey, 87% of loan officers cited paying off high-interest debt as the primary reason borrowers accessed their equity through a HELOC.

Whether the goal is consolidating debt, increasing a down payment, or creating a larger financial cushion, many homeowners are finding that the equity they’ve built over time can open doors that may otherwise remain closed.

Explore your options to remove a home sale contingency

While a home sale contingency can help protect you as a buyer, it can also make it harder to compete in today’s fickle market.

If you’re worried about losing a home while waiting for your current property to sell, you have options. Programs such as HomeLight Buy Before You Sell, bridge loans, HELs, and HELOCs can help eligible homeowners access their equity and purchase their next home without a home sale contingency.

For many move-up buyers, the ability to buy first and sell later can turn a stressful transition into a more flexible and predictable move.

Ready to explore your options to remove a home sale contingency? Visit homelight.com/buy-before-you-sell to discover how Buy Before You Sell can help you make a strong, non-contingent offer on your next home.

More tools from HomeLight to help you plan your next move:

• Down Payment Calculator
• Earnest Money Calculator
• Closing Costs Calculator
• Home Value Estimator
• Free Agent Match Tool to connect with a trusted top agent

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