Straight answers to the buy-before-you-sell questions.

The balance is still due at maturity. Your options are to pay it off from other funds, refinance it, or request an extension if one is offered — extension is not guaranteed and may carry additional fees.

In practice, this is a pricing problem solved before it happens: I list the home priced to sell inside the term, with the marketing calendar built backward from the maturity date. See selling your current home.

Yes — the loan is built to be paid off the day your home sells, whenever that is. Whether any portion of the points is refundable on early payoff depends on the program. Note that paying off earlier raises the effective APR, because the same fee covers fewer months; the cost example shows the numbers at month 3 and month 6.

No. A HELOC is an open-ended, revolving line of credit with a variable rate and required monthly payments, and most HELOC lenders will not open one on a home that is about to be listed. This is a closed-end, single-draw, interest-only bridge loan with a maximum six-month term, no monthly payments during the term, and a balloon payoff at sale or maturity.

Three things drive qualification: the equity in your current home (the bridge plus any existing mortgage must fit within the program's combined loan-to-value limit), your credit profile, and — just as important — your ability to qualify for the new-purchase loan. Specific minimums are set by program guidelines and confirmed at application. Not all applicants will qualify.

If the bridge is on the home you live in and the proceeds buy your next primary residence, it is consumer purpose and federal Truth in Lending disclosures apply — you receive a Loan Estimate and Closing Disclosure with the finance charge and APR. If the property is non-owner-occupied investment or flip property, it is business purpose; TILA does not apply, but every figure is still stated truthfully in writing. Investor track →

This loan has a balloon payment: the entire principal balance and all accrued fees are due in a single payment at the end of the term or upon sale of the property, whichever occurs first. If your home has not sold by maturity, you must pay off, refinance, or extend the loan (if available); extension is not guaranteed. Full mechanics on How It Works.

Consult your tax advisor. Whether points and fees on a short-term bridge are deductible depends on your situation and the purpose of the loan. Nothing on this site is tax advice.

Whether a bridge obligation is included in your DTI is determined by the lender and loan program on your new purchase. Because this structure has no required monthly payment, under many program guidelines no bridge payment is added to the DTI calculation — but this is not guaranteed and is subject to underwriting. The math both ways is on DTI & Qualifying.

There is a cost. The loan is interest-only with no monthly payments: the interest is charged up front as points rather than collected monthly, and points and fees are finance charges under federal Truth in Lending rules. The cost example shows a $400,000 bridge with $16,000 in points and the resulting 8.19% APR, so you can see exactly what "no monthly payments" does and does not mean.

No. Using my real estate brokerage is never a condition of obtaining a loan, and using my mortgage services is never a condition of listing or buying with me. Most clients do both because one person coordinating both closings is the point — but it is your choice, and I will confirm that in writing.