Bridge
How do you buy a new home before selling the one you own?
A bridge loan lets you tap the equity in your current home to fund the down payment on the next one, so you can make an offer that is not contingent on selling first. You carry it short term, then pay it off when your existing home closes.
Buy first, sell after
Every move-up buyer hits the same wall. Your down payment is sitting in the house you currently live in, and no seller wants an offer that depends on you selling it first.
A bridge loan solves the sequencing. It pulls equity out of your current home so you can close on the new one, then it gets paid off when the old house sells. You move once instead of twice, and your offer competes on its own terms.
I spent 14 years on the real estate side watching contingent offers lose to clean ones. Knowing when a bridge is genuinely worth the cost, and when you are better off with a different structure, is the kind of call I would rather make with you before you are already under contract.
Quick facts
- Down payment
- Based on the equity in your current home
- Credit guidelines
- Generally 680+
- Typical timeline
- Can move quickly once equity is verified
- Occupancy
- Transitional, current home to next home
What it usually takes
- Real equity in the home you currently own
- The ability to carry both payments briefly, or a structure that defers that
- A realistic plan and timeline for selling the current home
- A conversation early, ideally before you are writing offers
Guidelines vary by lender, and I shop across more than 40 of them. Missing one of these is a reason to talk, not a reason to assume the answer is no.
This is not a commitment to lend. All loans are subject to credit approval, income and property verification. Rates, terms, and programs are subject to change without notice. Nook Lending is powered by MPA Home Loans. Jennifer Ferrara, Loan Officer, NMLS #2781982. MPA Home Loans NMLS #2778343. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Jennifer Ferrara
Loan Officer · NMLS #2781982
Fourteen years navigating real estate deals taught me to listen before I recommend anything. Tell me what you're working with, and let's talk it through.
Where I Lend
Licensed throughout Texas, and I speak Spanish. Don't see your town? Ask, I am probably still in reach.
Cities I specialize in:
Kyle, TX · Buda, TX · San Marcos, TX · South Austin · Dripping Springs, TX · Driftwood, TX
See all service areasIs this loan right for you?
This fits if
Move-up buyers who need their equity freed up before their current home sells.
Look elsewhere first if
If you can comfortably sell first or carry both payments without help, a standard purchase loan is simpler and cheaper.
Pros
- Lets you make a non-contingent offer
- Move once instead of twice
- Frees up equity before your current home sells
Cons
- Real short-term cost, not free money
- Requires genuine equity in the current home
- Best planned before you're under contract, not after
Questions people actually ask
About Bridge
It pulls equity out of your current home before it sells, so that money is available for the down payment on your next home. The bridge loan then gets paid off when your current home closes, which is usually a short window.
Other options
Worth comparing against
Very few files have exactly one right answer. These are the ones that most often come up alongside this.
First-Time Homebuyer
Anyone buying their first home, or buying again after several years away from ownership.
Conventional
Buyers with solid credit who want the lowest long-run cost and want mortgage insurance to eventually go away.
FHA
Buyers rebuilding credit, carrying more debt than conventional allows, or working with a small down payment.
Jumbo
Buyers in the higher price bands, often self-employed professionals and move-up buyers.
Where this fits
Reviewed by Jennifer Ferrara, NMLS #2781982 · Last updated 2026-08-11
Wondering if Bridge is right for you?
Send me the specifics and I will tell you what actually fits. If a different program serves you better, that is what I will say.