How to build a house before selling your current house

Can you build a home before selling your current one? The answer is yes. Since the real estate market is unpredictable, you will likely end up being frustrated by the time it takes for your home to move, or the offers you get. Selling then building then sounds like the most logical and easy approach. Prior to making any major decisions, you should consider all of your options and come up with a plan. This article will show you how to build a house before selling yours so that you can ensure that the building process goes seamlessly.

How to Build a House Before Selling Yours

Since building a home before selling yours may have hiccups along the way, you should consider asking yourself these questions before starting:

  • Do you have an alternative place where you will live after selling your current home?

How to build a house before selling your current house
You could move in with family or friends, or find temporary rental options.

  • Can you find an established builder to start construction contingent on you selling your home to eliminate the wait time?

There aren’t many such builders.

  • What amount of money have you set aside for the transition?

You are likely to incur costs such as storage, moving, rent and realtor fees. You might end up digging into your down payment to offset these costs. You will be out of luck if you do that.

Getting Money to Build a New Home

You will need to work with your financial advisor to find the best financing option for your new home. Some of the options are:

401(k) Loans

Many workplaces offer construction loans under the 401k plan. Seek to find out the interest rates and repayment periods from the HR department. 401k loans have lower interest rates because it is like borrowing a loan from yourself.

Home Equity Line of Credit

HELOC is a kind of loan that will enable you to get finances on your current home before selling it. This loan is like a secondary mortgage, an avenue to secure cash on your current home. Home equity loans have a one time draw, fixed interest rates, and monthly repayments. Most lending institutions will give you 80% of your current property’s value.

Cash-Out Refinance

This is similar to a home equity loan in that you get financing based on your current home. However, unlike home equity loans that act as a second mortgage, cash out refinance finishes your existing mortgage first, and you start a new one.

You get 80% cash payout based on the equity value of your property, and the ban adds the amount to your new refinanced mortgage.

Getting a Gift

Some builders will start building your home conditional on you selling your current home. The new builders, however, may need you to pay upfront costs for nonrefundable extras. That is where gifts from family and friends come in.

Some lenders also accept donations as a part of the down payment. The amount has to be declared as a gift and not a loan that needs repaying.

Next Steps

Looking for ways on how to build a house before selling yours? It’s quite simple. You can take a loan on your 401K, use a home equity line of credit, refinance your existing mortgage or get a gift from your loved ones for construction down payment. Good luck!

How to build a house before selling your current house

If you’re a homeowner who has dreamed of building your own custom home, you may be wondering about the best order of steps to take to make this dream a reality. When living in an existing home, it can be difficult to decide when to put your existing home on the market, or when to start working with home builders to get your project off the ground.  Check out some of these tips to help guide you in making the best decision for your needs.

One of the first things to keep in mind is that you can obtain a construction loan for the purpose of building a home. However, depending on the type of loan you obtain, you will be required to pay for construction costs immediately upon completion of your home. Other loan types will roll over to a more traditional mortgage once construction is complete.

This means you will need to have necessary funds to either pay one large lump sum and/or carry two mortgages (one for your existing home and one for your newly built home). If you are planning on selling your own home after your new one is built, it’s important to judge market conditions fairly, so you can more accurately predict how many months it may take to sell your home. This way you can ensure you have enough funds saved to cover the additional mortgage cost until your home is sold.

Keep in mind that home sales have high seasonality, so it will be easier to sell your home during certain times of the year, like spring. If you can work with your builder to create a plan where your home can be finished around peak home-sales season, this will make it easier to sell your home and maintain a new mortgage.

To qualify for a new construction loan, some lenders may require you to show proof that you are able to finance both mortgages at once. Alternatively, some lenders may request you provide them with a sales contract showing your current home will be sold before you begin paying the mortgage on the new house.

If your lender determines you are financially qualified to maintain two mortgages, you can begin building your home regardless of whether or not you have sold (or have plans to sell) your existing home. 

Another option is to rent out your existing home once you move into a new home. You may be able to use the future rental income of your existing property to reduce your debt-to-income ratio when applying for your new loan. You may have to show your lender a signed lease or gather data on occupancy and rental rates of similar homes in your area. 

If you’re worried about your ability to sell (or rent) the existing home you’re now living in, you can opt to sell your home before buying new one. Regardless of the decision you make, work with your builder to find the best lender for your specific situation. Home builders have a lot of resources at their disposal to help ensure you get the dream home you want, and have as stress-free of an experience as possible.  You can find new home construction companies on our site and get started right away.  

All Articles