You've outgrown it. Move up.
The starter house did its job — and now the second bathroom is a negotiation and the garage is a storage problem. Moving up is two transactions that have to land as one: selling well, buying right, and timing both so your family moves once. That choreography is exactly what we do.
The family-home band, by the numbers.
Four-plus bedrooms, $450K–$900K — recomputed from the live feed at every site refresh.
Inside the same price band, the median three-bedroom lists at $587K and the median four-bedroom at $606K — that gap is the real cost of the upgrade, and it moves weekly.
Two transactions. One landing.
The move-up isn't a bigger version of your first purchase — it's a different sport. Six things that decide how it goes:
Sell first, or buy first?
The real decision tree: sell-first buys negotiating power and a clean down payment but risks a gap; buy-first ends the timing stress but needs bridge math. We run both against your equity and the current market before you pick.
Contingent offers that win
A home-sale contingency isn't a dealbreaker — a vague one is. Your current home priced, prepped, and days from listing reads as certainty to a seller. We package the contingency so it competes.
Bridge options & rent-backs
HELOCs opened before you list, bridge loans, and seller rent-backs that buy you 30–60 days after closing — the tools that turn two transactions into one move. Which fits depends on your equity and nerves.
One moving day
Close the sale in the morning, fund the purchase after lunch, movers once. The choreography is real — same-day closings, coordinated escrow, and a backup plan for each handoff — and it's the whole point.
Prep a house you're living in
You don't need a renovation — you need the punch list a buyer's inspector would write: the roof certificate, the touch-ups, the pre-list sewer scope. Two weekends of the right work protects five figures of price.
Your equity is the down payment
Most move-up buyers underestimate what they're sitting on. Net proceeds after commission and payoff — not a portal's estimate — is what unlocks the next monthly payment. Start with the real figure.
What would your house unlock?
The first step isn't a showing — it's three numbers, in order:
What your house nets
Current value minus mortgage payoff, commission, and closing costs — the honest walk-away number, not the estimate a portal guessed.
What that unlocks
Net proceeds as the next down payment: 20% down erases PMI and stretches the budget further than most families expect.
What the monthly looks like
The payment on the next house at today's rates, taxes and insurance included — decided before you tour a single kitchen.
Move-up questions, answered.
How much does a four-bedroom family home cost right now?
As of July 6, 2026, 400+ four-plus-bedroom homes are active between $450K and $900K, with a median asking price of $606K (about $214/sq ft) and a median 22 days on market. Inside that same band, stepping from three bedrooms to four currently costs about $19K at the median.
Should we sell our current home before buying the next one?
It depends on your equity, your risk tolerance, and the market's speed — not on a rule of thumb. Sell-first gives you a clean budget and stronger offers but may need a rent-back to bridge; buy-first removes the timing stress if a bridge loan or HELOC covers the gap. We model both with your actual numbers before you commit either way.
Do sellers accept offers contingent on selling our house?
Yes — when the contingency looks like a plan instead of a hope. A contingent offer backed by a priced, prepped, ready-to-list home (or one already under contract) competes well in this market. A vague someday-we'll-list contingency doesn't.
How do we avoid moving twice?
Coordinated closings and a seller rent-back are the two main tools: close both transactions same-day and move once, or close the sale and rent your own home back for 30–60 days while your purchase completes. Both are normal here — the key is writing them into the offers from the start.
Room for the whole roster.
Four-plus bedrooms, family neighborhoods — live from the MLS.
Sell well. Buy right. Move once.
Tell Jeff where you are — the house you have, the space you need, the timing you're hoping for — and you'll leave the first conversation with the real numbers and a sequencing plan, not a listing agreement.