Trading up in Stonebrook

Stonebrook is a gated Lompoc community where many of the homes have four bedrooms. If you need more room but still want a smaller, private neighborhood, it's one of the first places I'd show you. There's an HOA, and green spaces and walking paths nearby.

Here's what to plan for. Most of these homes were built in the 1990s, so the big-ticket items may be coming due: the roof, the furnace, the air conditioning, the water heater. A bigger home with 30-year-old systems can cost more in its first few years than the listing suggests. I like to walk it as a contractor and give you the real numbers, and those numbers can help you negotiate.

Then we build the plan for selling your current home and closing on this one. See more about Stonebrook.

Your equity, protected. If you're open to it, my contractor's walkthrough gives you a Fix/Skip list for your current home, so you don't over-spend getting it ready. Your EPIC Report gives you three prices with the trade-offs written out. See how the EPIC Report works.

The right order. Sell first, buy first, or line them up. We decide together based on your equity, your financing, and your comfort with risk. Your lender can tell you which financing options fit.

The tools that help. Contingent offers, rent-backs that let you stay after your home sells, and closings timed close together.

A plan B in writing. If your home sells faster than expected, or the next one takes longer to find, we already know what happens next: a rent-back, a short-term rental, or a pause on the search. Nobody has to decide that in a panic.

A contractor's eye on the next one. A bigger house can mean bigger surprises. I look at the roof, foundation, plumbing, and electrical before you commit, and I always recommend a professional inspection too.