Trading up in Anthem

Trading up in Anthem is a move into the part of Anthem most people do not picture. The community is known for its 55-plus neighborhoods, but the rest of Anthem mixes two-story family plans with non-restricted single-story homes, and that is where move-up families buying into south Henderson land. The picture is the usual one: a starter home in North Las Vegas, the southwest or an older part of Henderson, bought five to nine years ago, two kids or one on the way, a house that stopped fitting, and enough equity to do something about it, with school boundaries running next to price the whole time.

The problem is the one every move-up family has: you have to sell to buy and you cannot carry both. What makes an Anthem trade-up particular is that a family single-story here has the widest buyer pool in Anthem, so if that is the house you want, being ready to write when it appears matters more than in most places.

First, the number on the current house and what it nets you. Second, the payment on the Anthem side, with HOA dues included. Third, the comparison: the Anthem neighborhood that fits your number next to Inspirada, Cadence and Southern Highlands at the same price, so the choice is made with all of them in view. Fourth, the sequencing: sell first and buy as a non-contingent buyer with a rent-back to cover the gap, buy first with a contingent offer, or bridge with a short stretch of two payments, a loan against your equity, or a lender's buy-before-you-sell program. I will tell you which one I would choose with your numbers.

Then the current house gets The Week One Launch, marketing running from day one, because in a sell-and-buy the two weeks a listing gets the most attention are also the two weeks your Anthem timeline depends on. On the buying side, we sign a buyer representation agreement before or during the first showing, the 3D walkthroughs shorten the list, and when you find it the offer is written knowing exactly where the sale stands and what the builders elsewhere in south Henderson are offering that month. Every date on both calendars is watched by the same person.