Should You Buy a Bear Lake Home Before Selling Your Current One?

If you’ve been thinking about upgrading, downsizing, or finally making Bear Lake a full-time lifestyle instead of just a seasonal getaway, you might be wondering: should you buy your next home before selling your current one?It’s a common question, especially in a destination market like Bear Lake, where timing, inventory, and seasonality all play a unique role.

Buying first can offer a lot of advantages. For one, it takes the pressure off the sale of your current home. You can take your time preparing it, listing it, and accepting the right offer. It also gives you the freedom to move quickly when a Bear Lake property you love hits the market. And for many buyers, securing a Bear Lake home ahead of summer or ahead of next year’s rental season is worth the convenience of being able to move in, settle, and start enjoying the lifestyle sooner rather than later.

But buying first does come with risks, mainly the financial strain of potentially carrying two mortgages or covering the holding costs of two homes at once. In a seasonal market like Bear Lake, where demand and activity ebb and flow through the year, it’s important to consider how long your current home might realistically take to sell and whether you’re comfortable with the overlap. Market shifts, interest-rate changes, and timing can all impact how quickly your home moves once it’s listed.

That’s why the best approach is usually tailored to your situation. For some clients, buying first makes perfect sense because they’re financially prepared and waiting for the perfect Bear Lake opportunity. For others, selling first creates a more predictable, stress-free transition, especially if they want to avoid juggling two properties or need the equity from their current home to purchase the next one.

In the end, both paths can work! You just need a strategy that fits your goals, your timeline, and your comfort level. If you’re weighing your options, I’m here to help walk through the scenarios and create a plan that makes moving to Bear Lake as smooth and enjoyable as possible.