Sell Your Home in Another State and Buy Near Disney at the Same Time

The short version: You have a home to sell somewhere else and your eye on Central Florida. The hard part is doing both at once from far away. I start with why you are moving, map the lifestyle and timeline you want, then build the financing so you can make a strong offer here without losing protection on your sale back home. Most of it happens remotely.

By Jorge Martinez, REALTOR® | Keller Williams Classic Realty

Who is this for?

• You own a home in another state and need to sell it to buy here.
• You want to live near the parks, close to SR 429, on Central Florida’s West Orange side.
• You cannot fly in every weekend, and you do not want to carry two homes longer than you have to.
• You are self-employed, or your income is anything but simple, and you need a lender who gets it.

Step 1: Why are you really moving?

Before we talk houses, we talk reasons. I do a full analysis of both sides: what you need to net from your sale, what you need your next home to do, and what has to be true for this move to be worth it. Every decision after this, from price and area to timing and loan, gets checked against that answer.

Step 2: What life do you want here, and when?

Then I go into lifestyle and timeline. How close to Disney do you want to be? Golf cart to dinner, or a gate and a lake? New construction or established? Do you need to be in by a specific date? That is how 300+ communities become the three that actually fit, before you book a flight.

Step 3: How do you buy here before your home there is sold?

This is where most out-of-state moves stall. My approach:

• Bridge loan approval first. We get you qualified for a bridge loan with a lender who does them regularly. That approval shows a Florida seller you can close even if your sale back home takes longer than planned.
• An offer that still protects you. Even with that approval in hand, we usually write the offer contingent on the sale of your current home, and negotiate the timelines and contingency terms up front. The seller sees a buyer who can perform. You keep protection if your sale falls through.
• Both sides timed together. I stay in contact with your listing agent back home, so both closings move on one plan.

The honest tradeoffs: a bridge loan usually costs more than a standard mortgage, and not every buyer qualifies. Some Florida sellers will not take a contingent offer in a hot pocket of the market. We look at your numbers and the specific home before deciding how to structure the offer.

What happens if my home sale falls apart?

It happens. In one of our moves, the San Antonio buyer walked away a week into the contract. Their home was back under contract in under two days, and the Florida purchase stayed on track because both sides were planned as one project. Read the full story: From San Antonio to ChampionsGate.

Can I really do this without being here?

Yes. Search, video tours, inspections, appraisal and paperwork can all be handled while you are out of state. Most buyers make one trip to see their top choice in person, and you get updates and documentation at every step.

Where near Disney should I look?

Start with the community guides: Winter Garden, Windermere, Ocoee, Dr. Phillips, Golden Oak, Bay Hill and MetroWest. Each one shows drive times to the parks, schools by name and closed sales by home type from Stellar MLS.

FAQ

Loan programs, costs and approval depend on your lender and your finances. Jorge Martinez, REALTOR®, Keller Williams Classic Realty.