Rent or Sell - What Considerations to Make

[Will Kanewske]

Hello, 

I have been stressing out and anguishing over whether to sell or lease my first home. Hoping some experienced folks can provide some insights!

My wife and I have lived in a condominium for the last 10 years. We bought the property for 155K, now worth 360K and could probably rent for $2200 - $2500. Our place is small and with a growing family, we can no longer live at this location. It is only 2 bedrooms, 1000 square feet, and has a long commute to my latest job. For now we have moved out and rented at a bigger place while we rehab the property and make some additional improvements that is also closer to my work. My struggle is trying to determine whether to sell or lease the property. On one hand, cashing out of this property and purchasing a nice home for my family is extremely appealing as I could put a lot down making our house payment much more manageable with larger interest rates. On the other hand, we had always planned on renting this property and by selling I feel as though I am quitting the game just as it was about to start. 

The monthly financials look like this:

Principal / Interest: 886

Property Tax: 600

HOA: 350

Total Cost: 1836.

Mortgage is on a 15 year loan at 3.5 percent and it will be paid off in another 5 years. 

Am I crazy for wanting to sell this now? I've never been a landlord and perhaps some of the worry is just the hassle of what will be required. I also worry that since it is in an HOA, there is a lot less control over certain matters and special assessments could certainly be required in the future.

[Nathan Gesner]

Your actions should always move you closer to your goal. If you don't know what your goal is, then we can't help you.

This property should cashflow well, and you could use the cashflow to offset your mortgage payment on your primary residence. You should also have enough cashflow to pay for a Property Manager. But owning a rental when you are not mentally prepared to take it on can be daunting and the stress may sour you on real estate investing.

Think it through. Crunch the numbers with both scenarios. Consider the amount of effort in both scenarios, the possible stress, the rewards, etc.

Decide where you want to go, then figure out how to get there.