We're the lender, and we have three ways to help you buy your next home before you sell your current one. You don't have to choose between the house you want and selling first.
Licensed in Arizona · NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender
★★★★★ Verified five-star reviews from Arizona homeowners · 23+ years helping buyers structure complicated moves · Read the reviews ↓
Every move is different. Some people just need their current house payment to stop counting against them. Some need cash out of their current home early. Some want a safety net so they can make a strong offer. We do all three, and we'll tell you which one fits your situation.
We get your current house payment ignored so you qualify for the next home right now. This works once your current home is under contract, or it's listed with about 20% of it paid off, or you've rented it out.
Best for: people who can't get approved while still carrying their current house payment.
See if you qualify now →A flexible loan built for this situation. It lets you borrow against the money you've built up in your current home so you can fund the new purchase before you sell. You pay it off when your current home sells.
Best for: people whose cash for the next down payment is tied up in their current home.
Explore the bridge loan →Our $2,500 guaranteed backup offer on your current home. With a buyer already lined up behind you, you can make a strong offer on the next home that doesn't depend on selling first.
Best for: people who want a guaranteed buyer in their back pocket while they shop and sell on their own terms.
Explore the backup offer →Real estate agents: if your buyer keeps saying "we have to sell first," send them our way. Any of these three paths can free them up to write an offer now, so you don't lose the deal to timing.
Four steps from initial conversation to keys in hand. Most Arizona clients move through this in 30–45 days.
We review your current home’s equity, income, credit, and the price of the home you want to buy.
We get your current house payment ignored so you qualify now, use a bridge loan to free up your cash early, or set up a $2,500 backup offer. Sometimes a combination.
With your current house payment ignored or covered, you now qualify for the new loan, with no need to sell first.
Close on the new home. Move on your schedule. List and sell the old home without a ticking clock.
For people who can't get approved while still carrying their current house payment. We get that payment ignored so you qualify for the next home now.
For people whose cash is tied up in their current home. Borrow against that money so you can fund the new purchase before you sell.
For people who want a guaranteed buyer in their back pocket. A backup offer on your current home so you can make a strong offer that doesn't depend on selling first.
Many national "buy before you sell" programs charge a fee equal to 2–3% of your home's value. On a typical Arizona move-up sale, that can mean tens of thousands of dollars in program fees.
Our Guaranteed Backup Contract program is structured as a flat starting fee — beginning at $2,500 for homes up to $500,000, with transparent tiers above that. Same outcome. Dramatically lower cost.
Comparison reflects publicly published fee structures from competing national "buy before you sell" programs. Each provider's pricing varies by home value and program; verify current pricing with each provider before deciding.
Cornerstone First Mortgage is a full-service mortgage lender, we lend, we underwrite and fund through Cornerstone's lending platform, we underwrite and fund in-house. That means fewer handoffs, no outside program fees, and direct accountability from application to close.
We found our dream home in Scottsdale before our Chandler house was even listed. The backup contract let us make a clean, non-contingent offer, and it cost us less than a tenth of what two other national programs quoted.
Sarah & Michael T.: Scottsdale, AZ · Upgraded to 4BR
When you reach out, you work directly with Mike Certo and his Phoenix team — Arizona-based mortgage professionals with 23+ years of experience helping homeowners structure complicated moves. No outsourced team. No national call center. No pressure. Just a real strategy conversation about your specific situation.
Buy Before You Sell is most commonly used by:
It’s a way to buy your next home before you sell the one you're in, without your offer depending on that sale. We have three ways to do it: we get your current house payment ignored so you qualify now, we use a bridge loan to free up the money in your current home, or we set up a $2,500 backup offer so you can shop with a safety net.
If you can't get approved while still paying your current house payment, start with qualify without selling — we get that payment ignored. If your cash is tied up in your current home, a bridge loan frees it up. If you want a guaranteed buyer lined up while you shop, use the backup contract. Many Arizona buyers use a combination, and we'll tell you which fits.
$2,500 is the starting net fee for homes valued up to $500,000. Pricing tiers up with home value. See the full pricing table.
You have 180 days from the backup contract’s effective date. You list with the agent of your choice, at your price, and you keep any money from the sale above the backup offer amount. If the home doesn’t sell in 180 days, the backup buyer purchases it at the guaranteed price.
No. You choose your own listing agent. The backup contract is a financing tool, not an agent referral program, you remain in control of listing, pricing, negotiating, and accepting offers on your current home.
Yes. We work statewide. Most transactions are in the Phoenix metro (Scottsdale, Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Glendale), but Tucson, Flagstaff, Prescott, and rural AZ are fully supported.
That's exactly the risk a Guaranteed Backup Contract is designed to remove. You have 180 days to sell at your price with your agent. If the home doesn't sell within that window, the pre-arranged backup buyer purchases it at the guaranteed price you agreed to up front. You always know the floor.
You can cancel the program before closing on your next home. There's no penalty for choosing a different path during the consult phase. Once your purchase closes and the backup contract is in place, the structure is what unlocks your qualification — we'd walk through any change-of-mind scenario together so nothing surprises you.
It strengthens it. With a buyer already lined up for your current home, your offer on the new home doesn't depend on your sale — so you can make a strong, non-contingent offer. That's the kind sellers take seriously, and it's why many of our clients win competitive situations.
Yes. You choose your listing agent, set your price, and run the sale of your current home on your terms. The backup contract is a financing tool, not a real estate referral.
For most move-up buyers, yes. An offer that depends on selling first can be turned down by a seller, lose to a competing offer, or fall apart if your home doesn't sell in time. Buy Before You Sell takes that risk off the table, your purchase doesn't depend on your sale, which is the failure point of most of these moves.
No. You need the same credit any standard mortgage requires. These paths work with the same loan types you'd qualify for anyway, so the credit standards match your loan, not a stricter program.
A 20-minute consult with Mike Certo covers your equity, your approval, and which of the three paths solves your move. No obligation.
