There are times when you want to move, and there are times when you have to move. If you want to move, you can decide when to put the house on the market, and you can be more discerning about which offer you accept. If you have to move, you cannot always take advantage of market timing. You may even take an offer that would otherwise be unacceptable, just to go forward with the move. Then, once you've sold, you need to worry about buying.