Buy first or sell first? With a guaranteed price, you can buy first.
If your London home qualifies, we put a guaranteed price on it, in writing, before you list. Then you can make a firm offer on your next home, with no condition to sell yours first. The price of that safety net is in writing too: your agreed market value, less 7%, less the standard commission. If the open market pays more, you take the higher offer.
You might be afraid of owning two homes at once, or none at all. That is the trap this program is built to end.
On every home we list:
“Buy This Home, and I’ll Buy Yours!”
A 15-minute call. We value your home and tell you if you qualify. No obligation.
The Bottom Line (Quick Answer)
- Own a home in London, Ontario? The Ken Small Real Estate Team lets you buy your next home first.
- If your home qualifies, we set a guaranteed price in writing before you list. It is your agreed market value, less 7%, less the standard commission.
- It is for London homes worth up to $500,000, not rural. Your next home is one of our listings, worth the same or more. It closes 120 days after the guarantee is issued. A better offer always wins.
The short version
- The Trade-Up Buyout from the Ken Small Real Estate Team lets a London homeowner buy the next home before selling. If your home qualifies, we guarantee a buyout price in writing before you list.
- That price is your agreed market value, less 7%, less the standard commission. It is for London homes worth up to $500,000, not rural.
- You buy your next home from one of our listings, worth the same or more. It closes 120 days after the guarantee is issued.
The buyout in four lines
- 1$500,000: the top home value, in London only. Over that? Call and ask.
- 27%: what comes off your agreed market value, plus the standard commission.
- 3120 days: when your next home closes, from the date the guarantee is issued.
- 4Your call: a better offer always beats the guarantee.
The problem: buy first or sell first?
You found the home you want, but you have not sold the one you own. Buy first, and you risk carrying two homes. Sell first, and you risk having nowhere to go.
Carrying two homes means two mortgage payments, two tax bills and two sets of utilities. Listing and hoping the timing works is a gamble with your family’s biggest asset. The Trade-Up Buyout ends the guessing.
How the Trade-Up Buyout works
- We set a guaranteed price, in writing, before you list
Together we set your agreed market value, in writing. It comes from recent comparable sales near you. We adjust for condition, upgrades, lot and location. Not list prices. Not what the neighbours are asking.
See the 8 steps we take before we say a price → Your guaranteed buyout price comes off that number. You know your floor before you make a move.
- You buy your next home with a firm offer
Your current home is backed, so you can write a firm, cash-equivalent offer on the home you want. No weak “sell my house first” condition that sellers reject.
- You list on the open market, and a better offer wins
Participation is 100% optional. We market your home to sell it for the most possible. If the open market brings a higher offer than the guarantee, you take the higher offer. The guarantee is your safety net, never your ceiling.
Nothing is guaranteed until it is signed
The buyout becomes real when a written Ontario Form 100 is fully executed between you and the buyer. That is the Agreement of Purchase and Sale, and it sets out every term. The buyer is Ken Small, or a buyer he designates. Until both sides sign it, this is a program you qualify for. It is not yet a purchase.
What price do you get with the Trade-Up Buyout?
Your guaranteed price is your agreed market value, less 7%, less the standard commission. By design, it sits below what the open market should bring.
That 7% is what pays for the risk we take by promising to buy. We carry the home, the costs, and whatever the market does next.
If a better offer comes in while your home is listed, you take the better offer. The guarantee is your floor. It is never your ceiling.
If your home sells on the open market instead, our normal listing fee applies. See what it costs to sell with us →
Who the Trade-Up Buyout is for
A fit if you…
- Own a home in London, Ontario worth $500,000 or less, and want to move up
- Found (or are hunting for) your next home and hate the timing risk
- Want a firm offer, not one with a shaky home-sale condition
- Accept a guaranteed price of your agreed value minus 7% and the standard commission
- Accept that your next home closes in 120 days
Who this is not for
Maybe not, if you…
- Own a rural or country property
- Own a home worth more than $500,000, or one outside London
- Are not buying a next home from one of our own listings, with Ken representing you
- Need to sell only, with no purchase to follow
- Cannot agree on a fair guaranteed price and possession date
Over $500,000, or outside London?
It may still be considered. The limits above are the standard terms, not a hard no. Call Ken at (226) 271-1140 and ask if this applies to you.
Nothing on our list fits?
Tell us. If we have nothing that suits you, we may consider another home you like.
What London sellers say about the Ken Small Team
★★★★★We would 100% recommend Ken Small if you are wanting to sell or purchase a home. After 65 years in the same house, my father and I had a huge task on our hands to clean it out and get it ready to put on the market. We were able to leave most of this with Ken and his team.
We honestly feel we could not have done this without him. He stepped right in and knew what needed to be done. We felt like he was on the same page with us and we had several offers to look at in less than a week. Ken is kind, personable, professional and turned a very stressful situation into a worry-free one for us once he was on the job.
Awesome job Ken, we can’t thank you enough. We second the other reviewer’s opinion that Ken goes above and beyond!
Denise F. · Seller · Aug 2024 · via Google
★★★★★We sold our home! In the midst of interest increases and market pricing decline, Ken was steadfast in his commitment to sell our home. Ken used multiple outlets, went above and beyond to market our property and counselled us well along the way. In the end, we SOLD, and are beginning our next journey as a family. Thank you Ken!
Kristian W. · Seller · May 2023 · via Google
4.9 average from 14 Google reviews, as shown on our reviews page (October 2026). See all of them on our reviews page →
The honest takeaway
You are buying certainty, and that is its price.
Common questions about the Trade-Up Buyout
What is the Trade-Up Buyout Program?
Should I buy first or sell first?
Do I have to sell to Ken at the guaranteed price?
What are the conditions?
Why can you back the home with your own capital?
How do I find out if I qualify?
Want to move up without the timing trap?
Book a 15-minute call. We value your current home and walk you through the written terms. Then we tell you plainly whether the Trade-Up Buyout fits your move.
About Ken Small
Ken Small, REALTOR®, has been a real estate agent in London since 2003. He leads the Ken Small Real Estate Team at Century 21 First Canadian Corp., Brokerage. The office is at 420 York Street, London, ON N6B 1R1. RECO #4727293. Meet the team →
The whole deal, word for word, from our written terms:
Exclusive to London, Ontario. No rural or country properties. No home with a market value over $500,000 — over that price, or outside London, call Ken and ask, it may still be considered. Seller and Ken Small must mutually agree on price and possession date. Guarantee requires purchase of your next home from one of our own listings, with Ken Small representing you, at equal or greater value. Guaranteed price is your agreed market value, less 7%, less the standard commission. Next home closes 120 days from the date the guarantee is issued. Not intended to solicit properties currently under contract. Ken Small Real Estate Team, Century 21 First Canadian Corp., Brokerage.
Terms and conditions apply. Guarantees may not apply to all properties. Service provided by Ken Small Real Estate Team, Century 21 First Canadian Corp., Brokerage. Not intended to solicit currently listed properties.