How do you sell your Arlington home and buy another in Dallas-Fort Worth?

• Your Arlington home is the starting point. Its real value, minus what you owe and the costs of selling, is what you have for the next step.
• The lender comes before the sign. They tell you what you can buy and whether you need to sell first.
• Move to another county and the offices change: a different appraisal district, a different homestead filing, a different tax bill.
• Selling and buying are two separate negotiations, and both get planned together.
• The dates are written into the contracts, and they get lined up before anything is signed.

1. Your Arlington home's real value. Based on similar nearby sales and a look inside. Not an online estimate and not the value on your tax notice.
2. Your payoff. Ask your mortgage company for the exact amount to close out the loan on a given date.
3. What you'd walk away with. Value, minus payoff, minus the costs of selling: the commission, which we agree on in writing before we start, the seller's share of title and closing costs, and anything negotiated with the buyer.
4. Your lender. With your documents, they tell you what you can buy and which option fits. If you're self-employed, start sooner, and don't change how you earn or file without talking to me first.
5. The next home. Which city, what size, what commute to work and school. If you're heading to another part of the Metroplex, its numbers get checked before you offer.
6. Getting your home ready. What to fix, what to leave, photos and paperwork.
7. The dates. Sale and purchase on one page, with the option that fits you.

Want to see which option fits? Answer 5 questions and see which option fits you.

Who values your home. The City of Arlington explains that the Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) assesses the value of each property for taxes. That value is for taxes, not your asking price; the price comes from nearby sales.

How your bill arrives. Per the city, each year Tarrant County sends one combined bill covering every taxing unit, and the city's share of a homeowner's bill varies depending on the school district. That's why two Arlington homes can carry different bills.

Your current homestead. While you live in your Arlington home, that's your homestead. Once you move, the exemption goes to the new home: the Texas Comptroller explains you can claim only one at a time.

See more about the city in our Arlington area guide.

Many families who sell in Arlington buy somewhere else in Dallas-Fort Worth. If the new home is outside Tarrant County:

• A different appraisal district. The Comptroller explains the homestead is filed with the appraisal district in the county where the home sits. That means another website, another form and other dates.
• A different bill. The list of taxing units changes with the address: city, county, school district and others. It isn't figured from the seller's bill.
• You can file the same year. Per the Comptroller, if you buy after January 1 you may receive the exemption for the applicable portion of the year once you qualify, if the previous owner didn't receive it that year.
• Different schools and services. Check the school district's official map with the exact address. Water, trash and power may come from different providers.

Here's what that means for you: compare the new home by what it will cost you to live there, not just its price.

• Sell first with a longer closing, to give your purchase time.
• Sell and stay a few days after closing, agreed in writing with the buyer, when it fits.
• Make an offer contingent on selling your home. Some sellers accept it, some don't.
• Buy first, if your lender approves you carrying both homes or with a bridge loan. Your lender confirms your case.

On the purchase side, the option period is the negotiated window in which you can inspect and end the contract with written notice if you paid the option fee. When you're selling and buying at once, that window and your sale's closing date get lined up together.

When you sell and buy at once, you're sitting at two tables: a seller at one and a buyer at the other. What happens at one changes what you can do at the other.

• If you give a repair or a credit on your sale, you have less for the down payment on your purchase.
• If your purchase needs more days, your sale has to give you those days through its closing date.
• If your purchase depends on your sale, the seller of the new home will want to know how solid your sale is.
• If an appraisal comes in low on either side, the gap has to be solved without breaking the other contract.

That's why both get negotiated with the same page in front of you: what you'll walk away with, which dates work, and what you can give up without pulling the plan apart. Nobody signs what they don't understand.

It also helps to decide your limits before the first offer arrives. Know the lowest number that still funds your next home, the latest closing date that still lets you move once, and the repairs you're willing to make. When an offer comes in, you're comparing it to a plan instead of reacting to it.

• "Sell first, figure it out later." That's how it used to be done. Today, with no purchase plan, you sell and have nowhere lined up to go.
• Using your tax notice value as your price. One is for taxes; the other is set by nearby sales.
• Comparing homes in another city on price alone, without looking at taxes, insurance, HOA and commute.
• Filing the homestead with the wrong district when the new home is in another county.
• Negotiating the sale and the purchase as if they were unrelated. What you give up at one table changes what you can do at the other.

Picture an Arlington family that needs to be closer to one parent's new job on the other side of the Metroplex. Before listing, they get their home's real value, request their payoff and see what they'd walk away with. Their lender tells them what they can buy.

They compare two homes in another county: they look up each account at the appraisal district, check the school on the official map, read the HOA documents and test the commute. They choose by what each home will cost them to live in. They sell with a closing date that matches their purchase, file the homestead with the new district and move once.

This is an example, not a real client. With the families Veronica Yeary works with across Dallas-Fort Worth, the sale and the purchase are planned on the same page.

• Your Arlington home's value, based on similar nearby sales.
• Your payoff, from your mortgage company.
• What your lender approves, based on your documents.
• The new home's account at its appraisal district, with the taxing units for that address.
• The school district's official map for the new home, if schools are part of your decision.
• The HOA, insurance and FEMA flood map for the new home.

How do I sell my Arlington home and buy another in Dallas-Fort Worth?

First, get your home's real value and what you'd keep after the payoff and selling costs. Next, your lender tells you what you can buy. Then check the new home's numbers and plan both closings together.

Who appraises my Arlington home for property taxes?

The Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD). That value is for taxes. Your selling price comes from similar nearby sales.

If I buy in another county, where do I file my homestead?

With the appraisal district in the county where the new home sits. You can claim only one homestead at a time. If you buy after January 1, you can apply that same year once you qualify.

Do I have to sell before I buy?

It depends on your loan and your equity. Some families sell first with a longer closing, some buy first, and some make an offer contingent on their sale. Your lender confirms what applies to you.

Why might the new home's tax bill be different?

Because it's built from the taxing units at that address, which change with the county, city and school district. Value and your exemptions matter too. It isn't figured from the seller's bill.

If you're selling in Arlington and buying elsewhere in Dallas-Fort Worth, start by finding your option. Answer 5 questions and see which option fits you: veronicayeary.com/sell-and-buy.

Call or text 469-441-8890 · veronica@veronicayeary.com

Veronica Yeary, Realtor®, CRS, ABR, SRS and CIPS. All City Real Estate DFW. Here's what happens next: we look at your numbers and build your dates, step by step.