Trading up in Summerlin

Trading up in Summerlin is usually a family in a starter home in the southwest, North Las Vegas or an older part of the valley, bought five to nine years ago, two kids or one on the way, with a house that stopped fitting and enough equity to do something about it. Summerlin is on the list because of the schools they are reading about, the trails, the newer construction and the west-side commute. The problem is the one every move-up family has: you have to sell to buy and you cannot carry both.

What makes a Summerlin trade-up particular is a second decision riding on the first. At the number your sale nets you, Summerlin will buy a certain house, and Southern Highlands will often buy more of one. A move-up family should make that comparison on purpose, with both houses on the screen, before committing to the Summerlin name. Plenty choose Summerlin anyway, for good reasons. The point is to choose it knowing.

First, the number on the current house and what it nets you. Second, the payment on the Summerlin side, with HOA dues included, because nearly every home here carries them. Third, the comparison: the Summerlin village that fits your number next to what Southern Highlands offers at the same price, so the choice is made with both 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 Summerlin 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. Well-presented Summerlin homes at the real number do not sit, so being ready to write matters more here than most places. Every date on both calendars is watched by the same person.