Should You Sell Before Buying Another Home in Nashville?

Should you sell your current house before buying your next one in Nashville or Lebanon?

In most cases, no — selling first gives you a stronger, non-contingent offer and avoids carrying two mortgages, but it only works if you have somewhere to land in the gap. With homes across the Nashville metro now taking 60 to 85 days to sell, and over 110 days in parts of Mount Juliet and Wilson County, that gap has gotten wider. Bridge loans, rent-back agreements, and contingent offers are the three main tools Lebanon and Nashville-area sellers use to close it, and each one fits a different financial picture.

By Khristian Schlemmer | June 15, 2026

If you're ready to move — whether that's upsizing out of a starter home in Lebanon, downsizing from a larger property in Brentwood, or relocating somewhere else across the Nashville metro — you've probably run into the same question every seller-buyer eventually faces: do you sell your current house first, or find your next one first?

A couple of years ago, this question barely registered. Homes across Greater Nashville were selling in days, and most sellers could line up a sale and a purchase almost back-to-back without much friction. That's not the market we're in anymore, and the timing problem has gotten real teeth.

Why This Decision Is Harder in 2026 Than It Used to Be

Across the Nashville metro, homes are now averaging somewhere between 62 and 85 days on market, depending on the submarket — up from around 58 days a year ago. In Mount Juliet, right next door to Lebanon, that number has climbed to 112 days, a 32% jump from last year.

That's the gap you're trying to bridge. If you sell first, you could be without a home for two to three months while you wait to close on your next purchase. If you buy first, you're carrying two mortgage payments — your current one and your new one — until your old house sells. Neither option feels great on its own, which is exactly why this question comes up so often with my clients in Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, and Murfreesboro right now.

On top of that, there's what's known as the lock-in effect. A lot of homeowners across Wilson County locked in mortgage rates in the 3% to 4% range a few years ago. With rates sitting closer to 6.3% in 2026, trading that loan in for a new one feels like a step backward financially — even when the new house is exactly what you need. That hesitation is part of why inventory has stayed tighter than it otherwise would, and it's a big reason this timing question matters so much right now.

If your house has been sitting longer than you expected, it's worth reading through what to do when your house isn't selling before you commit to a timeline for your next purchase — the strategies in that post directly affect how realistic any of the options below will be for you.

The good news: you don't have to choose blindly. There are three established ways to bridge the gap, and each one fits a different financial picture.

Your Three Ways to Bridge the Gap

Bridge Loans

A bridge loan is a short-term loan secured against the equity in your current home, used to fund the down payment — or sometimes the full purchase — on your next one before your old home sells.

Here's how it generally works:

• You'll typically need at least 20% equity in your current home to qualify.

• Lenders want to see strong, well-established credit — this isn't a loan for borrowers with shaky financial histories.

• Some bridge loans don't require payments during the loan term, which takes pressure off your monthly budget while you're juggling two properties.

• You'll pay higher interest rates and fees than you would on a standard mortgage, plus underwriting and origination costs.

The upside is real: a bridge loan lets you make a non-contingent offer on your next home — the kind of offer that gets taken seriously in a market where days on market are climbing and sellers are looking for certainty. You also only have to move once, which matters more than people expect when they're juggling kids, pets, or a daily commute between Lebanon and Nashville.

Rent-Back Agreements

A rent-back agreement flips the usual script: you sell your current home, but you stay in it — as a tenant — for an agreed period after closing, typically capped around 60 days.

This tends to work well when:

• You've found your next home and are ready to close on the sale of your current one, but your new place isn't quite move-in ready yet.

• You'd rather have the certainty (and cash) of a completed sale than the scramble of moving twice.

The buyer becomes your landlord temporarily. You'll typically pay rent equal to the buyer's daily mortgage costs — principal, interest, taxes, and insurance — plus a security deposit that the title company holds until you move out. Every detail, including length of stay, the daily penalty for overstaying, and who covers utilities during that window, needs to be spelled out in writing before closing, not negotiated after the fact.

Contingent Offers

A contingent offer is the most familiar option: you make an offer on your next home that's contingent on selling your current one first.

The honest tradeoff here is leverage. In a market where buyers have more negotiating power — and Greater Nashville is squarely in that kind of market right now — sellers are more willing to consider a contingent offer than they were a couple of years ago. But a non-contingent offer, made possible by a bridge loan or by selling first, will almost always beat a contingent one when a seller has more than one offer on the table.

If you go this route, your agent will typically build in language — a kick-out clause, a defined window to sell — that protects both you and the seller if your current home takes longer to sell than expected.

Which Option Fits Your Situation?

There's no universally "right" answer here. It comes down to:

• Your equity position. Bridge loans require meaningful equity — generally 20% or more — in your current home. If you're not there yet, a rent-back or contingent offer is the more realistic path.

• Your timeline flexibility. If you have a hard move date — a job relocation to Franklin, a school year deadline — a bridge loan or rent-back gives you more control over timing than a contingent offer does.

• Your tolerance for carrying two payments. Bridge loans, especially the no-payment-during-term kind, can reduce this risk, but you're still on the hook eventually, and you'll want to budget accordingly.

• How competitive your target home is. If you're bidding on a home in a high-demand pocket of Brentwood or Franklin, a non-contingent offer — via a bridge loan or selling first — puts you in a much stronger position than a contingent one.

If you're also weighing what your next purchase will cost you out of pocket, it helps to look at what buyers actually budget for at closing in Lebanon and Nashville — that number factors into how much bridge financing you'd realistically need, and how much cushion a rent-back period buys you.

I walk clients through this exact decision constantly, usually before we even put a sign in the yard, because the order of operations affects your offer strategy, your moving timeline, and even how you negotiate on the home you're buying. The right answer depends on your home's equity, your current mortgage rate, your target price range, and how fast homes are actually moving in the specific Lebanon, Mt. Juliet, or Nashville-area neighborhood you're watching.

Selling and buying at the same time doesn't have to mean choosing between living out of boxes and carrying two mortgage payments. Bridge loans, rent-back agreements, and contingent offers each solve this timing problem in a different way — and the right one depends on your equity, your timeline, and how competitive your target market is.

If you're trying to figure out which path makes sense for your situation, I'm happy to walk through the numbers with you — reach out anytime.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to sell a house in Lebanon or Nashville right now?

Across the Nashville metro, homes are averaging 62 to 85 days on market, up from roughly 58 days a year ago. In Mount Juliet, just outside Lebanon, that number has climbed to around 112 days — a 32% increase year-over-year. Pricing correctly from day one is the biggest factor in beating these averages.

What is a bridge loan and how does it work in Tennessee?

A bridge loan is a short-term loan secured against the equity in your current home that gives you cash for a down payment — or the full purchase price — on your next home before your current one sells. Most lenders require at least 20% equity and strong credit, and the loan typically carries higher interest rates and fees than a standard mortgage.

Can I make an offer on a new home before my current home sells?

Yes, but you'll usually need to either make a contingent offer, conditional on your current home selling, or use a bridge loan to make a non-contingent offer. In Greater Nashville's current market, where buyers have more negotiating power, contingent offers are more widely accepted than they were a couple of years ago — but a non-contingent offer is still stronger when a seller has multiple offers to choose from.

How much does a rent-back agreement cost a seller?

You'll typically pay the buyer rent equal to their daily mortgage costs — principal, interest, taxes, and insurance — for each day you stay after closing, plus a security deposit held by the title company. Most rent-back periods are capped around 60 days because of requirements tied to the buyer's mortgage.

Should I wait for my house to sell before making an offer on my next home?

It depends on your equity, your timeline, and how competitive the home you want is. If you have strong equity and your target home is in a high-demand area of Franklin, Brentwood, or Nashville, a bridge loan or selling-first strategy gives you a stronger offer. If your equity is limited or your timeline is flexible, a contingent offer may be the more practical path.

About Khristian Schlemmer

Khristian is a top-producing Middle Tennessee Realtor and founder of First Class Real Estate, serving buyers, sellers, and investors throughout the Greater Nashville area. With over $60 million in career sales and 200+ homes sold, he is known for creative marketing, strong negotiation, and delivering a true first-class client experience. Born into a family passionate about real estate investing and home building, Khristian combines local market expertise with modern marketing strategies to help clients confidently achieve their real estate goals.