Techniques for performing inter-frequency handoff in a wireless communication network are described. An access terminal may acquire a first sector on a first frequency (e.g., at power up), receive an overhead message from the first sector, obtain neighbor list information from the overhead message, and store this information. The access terminal may be directed from the first frequency to a second frequency, e.g., to balance network load. The access terminal may perform handoff to a second sector on the second frequency. This handoff may be unsuccessful if the access terminal is within the coverage of the first sector but outside the coverage of the second sector, even though the two sectors may be co-located. If the handoff is unsuccessful, then the access terminal may determine a neighbor sector based on the stored neighbor list information, then attempt acquisition of the neighbor sector, and perform handoff to the neighbor sector if acquired.