Client Story
How a Kitchener Family Sold Their Bungalow and Moved Up Before School Started
In July 2026, a young family with two kids under five needed to sell their small bungalow in Bridgeport and buy a bigger home before September. We started looking before their home was listed, won a purchase in Stanley Park conditional on their sale for about $40,000 below asking, and sold their home for $550,000, 10% over list, to a buyer who could close in under 30 days. Both deals closed the same day, and the family moved in before the school year started.
By George Dmitrovic, Realtor with Keller Williams Innovation Realty. Updated October 2026.
The Situation
The family owned a small, recently renovated bungalow in Bridgeport, worth about $550,000. With two kids under five and a dog, they had outgrown the inside of the house. They loved the yard, and as outdoorsy people they didn’t want to give that up, but they needed far more usable living space.
There was also a deadline. It was July, and they wanted to be settled in a new home before the school year started in September.
What Made It Tricky
- Selling and buying at the same time. They needed the money from their sale to buy, so the two deals had to line up.
- A tight timeline. About six weeks to get their home ready, sold, a new home found and both deals closed.
- A summer market. July and August are often slower, with fewer buyers out looking, which makes a quick sale at a strong price harder to count on.
- A quick closing. Whoever bought their home had to be able to close in just under 30 days.
The Plan
With a renovated home at an entry-level price, I expected a lot of interest. The plan was to list a little below what I expected it to sell for, hold offers for about a week, and sell over asking. That would give the family a firm number to shop with.
Time was not on our side, so we started looking at homes while their house was still being prepared and photographed. That way they knew what was out there and could move quickly when the right home came up.
Finding the Right Home
The first few homes were either not quite right or already had offers coming in. Then we found one in Stanley Park, within walking distance of a school, listed at $790,000. That was just above their budget, but it had been on the market for 120 days, the last 34 of them at that price after a reduction.
It was exactly what they needed: more square footage, a bigger lot, an extra bathroom, a usable basement and a big garage, which they had never had.
Their own home was just going on the market, so we made an offer conditional on the sale of their home. A long time on the market, plus a home of ours that was priced to sell quickly, helped us get the sellers to accept that condition. Then we negotiated hard and got the price down by about $40,000.
The sellers kept a 48-hour escape clause, which let them keep marketing the home and ask us to firm up or step aside if another offer came in. We also added a clause that paused that escape clause for six business days once we had a conditional offer on our clients’ home, which protected them while their buyer’s conditions came off.
Selling Their Home
The marketing worked: more than 20 private showings in the first week and almost 40 visitors at the open house. But the market was slowing into its summer lull, and on offer night only one offer came in, and it was lower than we had hoped. I had expected $560,000 to $580,000.
We negotiated with that buyer and got to $550,000, 10% over the $500,000 list price and the number the family needed. Just as important, the buyer could close in under 30 days.
The Result
| Their sale (Bridgeport) | Their purchase (Stanley Park) | |
|---|---|---|
| List price | $500,000 | $790,000 |
| Final price | $550,000 | About $750,000 |
| Days on market | About a week | 120 in total, 34 at the final list price |
| Offers | 1 | Conditional on their sale |
| Closing | Same day, just under 30 days | Same day, just under 30 days |
Both deals firmed up, both closed on the same day, and the family moved in just before the school year started. They moved up by about $200,000, from a small bungalow to a bigger home with a bigger lot, a garage and room for everyone, a short walk from the kids’ new school.
What Other Families Can Learn From This
- Start looking before you list. Knowing what’s out there lets you act fast when the right home comes up.
- An offer conditional on your sale can work, but don’t count on it. We didn’t plan on one here. It worked because the home had been on the market for a while and theirs was priced to sell fast. In a busier market, you may need to sell first.
- Know your number, not just your hope. Offers came in lighter than expected, but because we knew the price they needed, we could negotiate to it calmly.
- Ask for protection in the fine print. Pausing the sellers’ escape clause once our clients had a conditional sale gave them time to firm up without the risk of losing the house.
If you’re weighing a move like this, my guides to upsizing with a growing family and selling and buying at the same time go deeper, and the neighbourhood price table shows what homes sell for in each part of Kitchener-Waterloo.
Names and addresses are left out, and figures are rounded.
What Clients Are Saying
Five-star Google reviews from Kitchener-Waterloo clients George has helped.
Planning a Move Like This?
Tell me what you own, what you need and when you need to be there. I’ll help you work out your number, your timing and the order to do things in, with no pressure.
Questions About This Move
Quick answers about buying conditional on a sale and lining up two closings.
Can you buy a home conditional on selling your own in Kitchener-Waterloo?
Yes, but sellers don’t always accept it. It is most likely when the home you want has been on the market for a while and your own home is priced to sell quickly. Expect the sellers to ask for an escape clause.
What is an escape clause on a sale-of-property condition?
It lets the sellers keep marketing their home after accepting your conditional offer. If they get another offer, you usually have a set time, often 48 to 72 hours, to remove your condition or step aside. In this case we also negotiated a pause on that clause once our clients had a conditional sale of their own.
Can you close a sale and a purchase on the same day?
Yes. Many move-up buyers close both on the same day so the money from the sale goes straight into the purchase. Your lawyer handles the timing. If the dates can’t line up, a short bridge loan from your lender can cover the gap.
How quickly can a home sell and close in Kitchener-Waterloo?
A well-priced home can get an offer within its first week, and closings are often 30 to 90 days out. Here, the buyer closed in just under 30 days because the family needed to move before September.
