Want to take advantage of the current housing glut and get a good deal on a bigger house? Afraid of getting stuck with the old house? What to do? What to do?

Here are three things to consider when considering moving up in the current market:

• Leverage the buy side. Don't get fixated on the sale price of your existing home. The more important consideration is that the current market conditions favor those with cash in hand and good credit. Move your exisiting house quickly through aggressive pricing and take advantage of the negotiating power you will have as a serious pre-approved move-up buyer.
• If you have significant equity in your existing property, check into using your home equity line to purchase the new home. Home equity is usually cheaper than a bridge loan, which wold be another consideration.
• Look for a Realtor that offers to buy your existing home if you buy one of their listings. In the current market, this may be difficult as agents usually use this type of attention-getter in hotter markets. The gist of this type of offer is that you have to come to agreement with the agent on the selling price they feel will produce results. They will then offer to buy your house at a price maybe 10 percent below that price if yours doesn't sell within the agreed upon length of time. While you may not get your price, you can move up knowing you will sell your home in a specified amount of time. The Realtor doesn't lose, they sell you a new home and list yours at the price they paid minus their commission which means the house should move quickly as it will be aggressively priced…

Which brings us back to the key ingredient in not getting stuck with two homes – price your house to sell quickly and get on with life!