Lakeridge · Trading Up
Trading up in Lakeridge
Sell and buy in the right order, with your numbers worked out first.
Trading up in Lakeridge: more house, more to weigh
Trading up in Lakeridge is one of the classic Lubbock moves. Move-up buyers are among the groups the neighborhood draws most, because it offers larger homes, mature trees and distinctive architecture around a well-known golf course. For a household leaving a starter home, it's a setting that feels settled from the first day.
The move also asks more of your planning. Lakeridge homes range considerably in size, condition and level of renovation. The larger home you can afford may be fully updated, or it may be a home with more space and work ahead. Knowing which kind you want shapes the budget for both the purchase and what comes after it.
Then comes the question every move up shares: buy first or sell first? We settle it with your equity and your lender before you tour.
Why move-up buyers work with Shelby Cotton
I'm Shelby Cotton, a REALTOR® with eXp Realty, LLC in Lubbock. When you trade up, I handle your sale and your purchase as one plan, and I pay as much attention to the timing between them as to either price.
On the Lakeridge side, my background in architecture and civil design earns its keep. A larger home is only an upgrade if the extra space works. I'll help you judge how the floor plan lives, how the lot drains and what the roof and systems will ask of you. A home that needs work isn't a bad buy. A home that needs work you didn't see coming is.
On the selling side, your current home gets evidence-based pricing, careful preparation and a planned launch, with professional photography, video and drone shots where they help, a property website and targeted reach.
Your trade-up plan, step by step
- Know your equity. What your current home is likely to sell for, and what you'll net.
- Talk with your lender early. Whether you can carry both homes briefly, or need your sale to close first.
- Decide ready-now or ready-to-improve. Updated homes cost more up front. Homes needing work cost more later.
- Prepare and launch your current home. Repairs worth doing, staging and professional media before it goes live.
- Tour Lakeridge with a plan. A short list, with the cost of any work you'd want priced in.
- Line up the closings. Offer terms and dates that fit your sale.
The seller side is on how I launch a home, the buyer side on how I help you buy, and the whole approach on trading up in Lubbock.
Budgeting for a larger Lakeridge home
The purchase price is only the first number in a move up to Lakeridge. A bigger home brings bigger ongoing costs, and it pays to see them together before you commit.
The payment. A larger mortgage, higher property taxes and higher insurance. Your lender sets the maximum. Your comfort sets the real limit.
Running costs. More square footage to heat and cool, more roof and more yard with mature trees to care for.
Planned improvements. If the home you want needs updating, the cost of that work belongs in your budget from the start. It may also affect how much cash you want to keep from your sale rather than put down.
A reserve. Larger, older homes can surprise you. Keep enough aside that one surprise doesn't disrupt the plan.
Selling the home you're moving up from
Your current home funds the move to Lakeridge, so its sale deserves as much care as the purchase. A starter home competes with other starter homes, and the buyers shopping for it are often first-time buyers with careful budgets and plenty of questions.
Preparation pays when it answers those questions before they're asked. Fix what an inspector would flag. Freshen paint where it's worn. Clear out enough that rooms read as their real size in photos. A first-time buyer who sees a well-kept home is more confident writing a strong offer.
Timing matters as much as presentation. If you need the proceeds to buy in Lakeridge, we'll plan the listing date so your closing can line up with the purchase. If you can carry both homes briefly, we have more room to wait for the right Lakeridge house. We'll choose the approach with your lender before your home goes live.
Lakeridge or another step up?
Lakeridge is less about buying new and more about buying space, location, character and a setting that would take decades to recreate. If that's what you want more of, it's hard to beat. If you'd rather have newer construction with less upkeep, compare trading up in Uptown West. For generous rooms and lots with room to improve, look at trading up in Farrar Estates.
Map out your move
Want to know what your current home could bring and what Lakeridge would cost you all in? Send me a note or call (806) 630-0455. The Lakeridge guide covers the neighborhood. Move wisely.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I buy an updated Lakeridge home or one that needs work?
It depends on your budget, your timeline and your appetite for projects. Updated homes cost more up front. Homes needing work cost more later, and that cost belongs in the plan from the start.
Should I sell my current home before buying in Lakeridge?
It depends on your equity, your lender and how much overlap you can carry. We decide the order with real numbers first.
What ongoing costs rise with a larger Lakeridge home?
Taxes, insurance, utilities, roof and yard care. We'll look at the full monthly picture, not only the mortgage.
Lakeridge
What trading up looks like in Lakeridge
Established surroundings, larger homes, mature landscaping and one of Lubbock's best-known golf-course communities.
- The homes
- Larger homes, mature trees and distinctive architecture. Development began around LakeRidge Country Club around 1977, with much of it built in the 1980s and 1990s plus later custom construction. Size, condition and renovation level vary considerably.
- Why people choose it
- Move-up buyers, relocating professionals, golf enthusiasts and buyers who prefer larger homes and mature surroundings over new subdivision development.
- Schools people ask about
- Smith Elementary, Irons Middle School and Coronado High School are the names most associated with the area. Verify the attendance zone for each address.
- Getting around
- Southwest Lubbock. Locals orient around LakeRidge Country Club, 82nd Street and 98th Street, with streets such as Vicksburg, York, Toledo, Salem and Savannah.
- Nearby
- The country club and golf course; the 82nd and 98th Street corridors for restaurants, shopping and services.
- The trade-off
- Less about buying new and more about buying space, location and character. Buyers weigh condition against price and budget for kitchens, baths, roofs and systems; an updated home and an original one are different products.
Trading Up: keep exploring
Ready to make your move with Shelby Cotton?