True wellbeing begins at home.
Most people assume selling first is the safe, cheap option and bridging is the expensive, risky one. But when you sit down and add up the real costs of each approach, the picture looks very different. Bridging has a clear, calculable cost. Selling first has hidden costs that most people do not think about until they are living them.
By Jason Given · July 2026 · 7 min read
When clients tell me they want to avoid bridging because it costs money, I ask them what they think selling first will cost. Most people say "nothing, I just sell and then buy." But that is not how it works in practice.
Selling first means you need somewhere to live between settlements. It means moving your furniture into storage. It means two sets of removalists. It means your kids changing schools or commuting from a rental. And it means buying under pressure, because you have cash sitting in an offset account earning 6% while you search, but every month you are also paying rent.
Bridging has a clear cost that we can calculate to the dollar before you commit. Selling first has costs that only become clear once you are in the middle of it.
Let us be specific. Here is what selling first actually costs for a typical Adelaide family.
Rent for a 3 bedroom home at $600 per week for 3 months: $7,800. Storage unit for furniture and belongings at $200 per month for 3 months: $600. First move (out of your home into temporary accommodation): $2,000. Second move (into your new home): $2,000. Connection and disconnection fees across two moves: approximately $400.
Total: approximately $12,800. And that assumes you find and settle on your new home within 3 months. If it takes 4 or 5 months, the rent and storage alone push the total past $15,000.
Then there is the cost you cannot put a dollar figure on. The disruption to your family. Children changing routines. Living out of boxes. The pressure to buy something quickly because you are paying rent and want it to stop.
Using a realistic Adelaide scenario: current home worth $950,000, new purchase at $1,200,000, existing mortgage of $380,000, bridging rate of 6.5%, bridge period of 3 months.
Peak debt = $380,000 + $1,200,000 = $1,580,000. Monthly interest = $1,580,000 x 6.5% / 12 = $8,558. Total bridging interest over 3 months = $25,675.
Add approximately $1,500 in application and valuation fees, and the total bridging cost is around $27,175. That is more than the $12,800 cost of selling first in raw dollar terms. But you move once, you avoid the stress of temporary housing, and you do not buy under pressure.
Selling first costs approximately $12,800 to $15,000 in direct expenses, involves two moves, 3 or more months of disruption, and creates pressure to buy quickly. There is also a risk of overpaying for your next home because you feel rushed.
Bridging costs approximately $25,000 to $28,000 at this price point over 3 months. You move once, directly into your new home. There is no storage, no temporary accommodation, and no pressure on timing. You can negotiate on the purchase from a position of strength because you are ready to settle.
The gap between the two options is roughly $12,000 to $15,000. For many families, the convenience of moving once and avoiding months of disruption is worth that difference. For others, the savings of selling first matter more. There is no universally right answer.
Bridging makes the most sense when your existing property is likely to sell quickly. In Adelaide's current market, well priced homes in popular suburbs are selling in 4 to 6 weeks. A shorter bridge means lower interest, and the cost gap between bridging and selling first narrows significantly.
It also wins when you have found a specific property you do not want to lose. Dream homes do not wait. If you sell first, the property you wanted may be gone by the time you are ready to buy.
And it wins when family disruption matters. If you have school aged children, elderly parents living with you, or you are working from home, the practical value of moving once is substantial.
Selling first is the better option when the market is uncertain or slow. If properties in your area are sitting for 3 to 6 months, the bridging interest adds up quickly and the cost advantage disappears.
It also makes sense if you have thin equity. With less than 15% to 20% equity in your current home, the combined LVR at peak debt may be too high for lenders to approve bridging.
And if you have income changes coming, such as parental leave, a job change, or reduced hours, lenders may not be comfortable with the serviceability assessment. In those cases, selling first and buying with confirmed funds is the lower risk path.
There are alternatives to both bridging and selling first that can work well in the right circumstances.
A conditional offer, also called a subject to sale clause, lets you make an offer on a new property that is conditional on your existing home selling within a set timeframe. If the vendor accepts, you get to buy without bridging. The risk is that competitive properties attract unconditional offers, and yours may be passed over.
Extended settlements are another option. If you can negotiate a longer settlement period on the new purchase, say 90 or 120 days, that gives you time to sell your existing home before the new purchase settles. Some vendors are happy to wait, particularly if they are also buying and need time themselves.
We look at all of these options with every client. The right approach depends on your equity, your timeline, the properties involved, and how competitive the market is in your target area.
Yes, you can include a subject to sale clause in your offer. However, in a competitive Adelaide market, vendors often prefer unconditional offers. A conditional offer may be rejected in favour of a clean offer from another buyer. If the property is not attracting strong competition, a conditional offer can work well and avoids the need for bridging altogether.
This is one of the biggest risks of selling first. If you sell with a standard 42 day settlement and have not found your next home, you will need to negotiate an extended settlement, arrange temporary accommodation, or move into a rental while you continue searching. Some sellers negotiate a rent back arrangement with their buyer, staying in the property for a few weeks after settlement while they finalise their purchase.
For most clients I work with, yes. The financial cost of bridging is often comparable to or less than selling first when you factor in rent, storage, and moving twice. And the lifestyle benefit of moving once, directly into your new home, is significant. That said, bridging is not right for everyone. If your equity is thin or the market is uncertain, selling first may be the lower risk option.
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