Who Writes This Site
Program and regulatory figures verified September 25, 2026. Details change; confirm your scenario with us.
A lender's site about one problem: how a Massachusetts homeowner buys the next house before the current one sells.
What this site is for
One question, worked properly. How does a Massachusetts homeowner fund the next purchase before the current home sells, and what does that sale actually leave behind.
Two Massachusetts facts shape most of the answer. The Commonwealth applies an additional 4% surtax to income exceeding $1,107,750 for tax year 2026, and a long-held home's gain can reach it. And Massachusetts runs three separate conforming loan limits, with Cape Cod at the national baseline while the islands carry the state maximum.
Where our work stops
We originate loans. We do not write, review or advise on purchase contracts. We raise the surtax question because it changes financing decisions, and then we stop: we do not compute anyone's capital gain, advise on the federal exclusion, or recommend timing a closing for tax reasons. Your CPA does that. Your real estate agent and closing attorney handle the contract. We handle the money.
How figures get on these pages, and what is missing
Every dollar amount and percentage traces to a primary source recorded with a verification date. The surtax thresholds come from mass.gov, read September 24, 2026. Loan limits come from the FHFA county file. Agency rules come from the Fannie Mae Selling Guide, cited by section and date. Market values come from Zillow's published research series with the data month attached.
Two things a Massachusetts site would normally carry are absent on purpose. We could not verify the deed excise rate or the Massachusetts Homestead Act figures from a primary source on the day this was built, because the legislature's site was unreachable and the registry fee pages refused our requests. Rather than repeat a number from a secondary source, we left them out. That is the rule here: cite it or omit it.
Talking to us
Call (480) 296-6513 or use the contact page. Our team reaches out shortly, with no obligation.
Start with the Massachusetts guide or the three structures.
Frequently asked questions
Who runs this site?
Mike Certo, NMLS #260555, Branch Manager at Cornerstone First Mortgage, NMLS #173855. The site covers buy-before-you-sell financing for Massachusetts homeowners, statewide across all 14 counties.
Does this site give tax advice?
No. It states the Massachusetts surtax threshold because it changes financing decisions, and stops there. It does not compute capital gains, advise on the federal exclusion, or recommend timing a closing for tax reasons. Those are questions for a CPA.
Why are the deed excise and Homestead Act figures missing?
Because they could not be verified from a primary source on the day the site was built. The legislature's site was unreachable and the registry fee pages refused our requests. The standing rule here is to cite a figure or omit it rather than repeat one from a secondary source.
Mike Certo · NMLS #260555 · Cornerstone First Mortgage NMLS #173855 · Equal Housing Lender. Educational content about financing, not a loan commitment and not legal, tax, or real estate advice. The Massachusetts surtax threshold is set by the Commonwealth and indexed annually, and whether a home sale reaches it depends entirely on your facts; your CPA, your closing attorney, and your real estate agent each handle their own part. Loans are subject to borrower and property qualification.