What you usually hear, and the honest answer

Washington families who call us about a move usually have the same shape of problem. The equity is real and often large, built up over years in a market that climbed fast. But it is locked inside a house that is still full of furniture, kids' rooms and a garage nobody has cleaned out. Meanwhile the Arizona home that fits the new job, the grandkids or the sunshine is listed today.

So the questions come out in a rush. Can we buy before we sell? How do we get at the money? What does the sale cost in Washington, and what changes about our taxes once we live in Arizona? This post takes them one at a time, with the official numbers where there are official numbers.

Three Ways Washington Movers Sequence It

Sell first, then buy. You list the Washington home, close, and arrive in Arizona with cash in hand. It is the simplest plan for your budget and the hardest on your family, because you may need a rental or a long stay somewhere while you shop. It also means making an Arizona offer on a timeline you do not fully control.

Time the two closings. You go under contract on both homes and try to close them days apart. It can work beautifully when both buyers and both escrows cooperate. When one side slips, the other side has to absorb the delay.

Buy first, then sell. You close in Arizona, move, and sell the Washington house empty. That is often the least stressful move for the family and the most demanding on cash flow, because for some period you own two homes. Whether that is workable comes down to two questions: can you qualify with both payments, and where does the down payment come from before the Washington money arrives?

Our buy before you sell page lays out each tool, and our Arizona bridge loans are available statewide for the Arizona side of the move.

Before you choose, get two honest answers from a Washington listing agent: a realistic price, and a realistic time on market for your home in this season. Those two numbers shape everything else. A higher price that takes four months can cost more than a lower price that sells in three weeks once you add the overlap, and a quick sale changes whether buying first is even needed. Ask what the agent would do with the house empty versus lived in, too, since many movers sell from Arizona after they have already left.

Getting at Equity in a Washington Home

Here is the honest limit up front. Our bridge loans are for Arizona homes. They cannot be secured by the Washington house. If your current home is outside Arizona, tell us where it is and we will show which options fit your situation. For Washington movers, those usually look like this.

A home equity line from a Washington lender. Opening one before you list, while you still live there, is common. The CFPB notes that HELOCs usually have a variable rate, so payments can change month to month, and that they run a draw period followed by a repayment period. Ask your lender how the line must be handled when you sell, since it gets paid off at closing.

Savings, retirement or other assets. Some families can cover a down payment without touching the house. Talk to your CPA before pulling from retirement accounts.

A smaller down payment now. Buying with less down and paying the loan down after the Washington sale is another route, though it changes your payment and possibly your loan options. We can show both versions side by side.

For a deeper look at how a home equity line compares with a bridge loan when both homes are in Arizona, see our post on HELOC vs bridge loan.

The Two State Tax Lines to Plan For

This is not tax advice. Talk to your CPA about your own situation. These are the official figures we found, so you can bring good questions to that conversation.

Washington's real estate excise tax on the sale. The Washington Department of Revenue says the seller usually pays this tax, and if the seller does not, the buyer is responsible. The state portion is graduated by selling price, and a local rate is added on top. For sales in 2026, the state tiers effective January 1, 2023 apply. The department also publishes new thresholds effective January 1, 2027, because the brackets adjust every four years.

Local rates vary by city and county. On the department's January 2026 local rate sheet, Seattle's local rate is 0.50%, and local rates statewide run from 0% to 2%.

Arizona's income tax once you live here. The Arizona Department of Revenue says Arizona has a flat individual income tax rate of 2.5% for tax year 2023 and beyond. If your paycheck has not had a state income tax line before, budget for one, and ask your CPA how the year you move will be split between the two states.

The federal home sale exclusion. IRS Topic 701 says you may be able to exclude up to $250,000 of gain, or up to $500,000 on a joint return, when you meet the ownership and use tests of 24 months out of the last 5 years. If you are thinking about renting out the Washington house for a while instead of selling, ask your CPA how that timing interacts with the exclusion before you decide.