There’s no universal answer — the right sequence depends on your equity, risk comfort, financing, and how long you can carry two homes (or temporary housing).
Sell first
Often lower financial risk. You know your proceeds before you buy. Tradeoff: you may need temporary housing or a tight closing alignment.
Buy first
Works when you can qualify and carry overlapping housing costs — or when you find a rare home you can’t risk losing. Tradeoff: more payment pressure if your current home sells slowly.
A third path
Sometimes a contingent offer, rent-back, or bridge strategy fits. Those tools depend on the specific properties and lender rules.
Next step
Schedule a consult with your real numbers (equity estimate, monthly comfort, deadline). Bring a lender into the conversation early.