I'm not quite sure what you mean. My point is that you need somewhere to live. It's like being short a stock and you need to cover. Covering a short is closing

I'm not quite sure what you mean. My point is that you need somewhere to live. It's like being short a stock and you need to cover. Covering a short is closing an investment position, not opening one. If you sell the house, now you're short again and need to cover. Once you buy your second property you are actually investing.