Sell or rent single family home in San Diego, CA

[John Devereaux]

My wife and I are in the Navy and will be receiving new orders in the next year to be relocated (location unknown at this time). We currently have a single-family home that we purchased back in January 2021 in the La Mesa, CA area (technically still San Diego, CA). We have been discussing selling the house at the 2-year mark because we believe we are at the peak of the market and its beginning to cool off. Furthermore, we will not have to pay capital gains tax since it has been our primary residence for the past two years. We estimate after agent fees/ closing costs we will profit approximately 150k. Our first idea is to take that money and re-invest it into a multi-family wherever we get stationed next. It will more than likely be a cheaper area like the panhandle of Florida or Virginia. However, we realize that we got the house at a very good price with a 2.75% interest rate. The big problem we can see is it not producing enough cash flow and might even have to pay out of pocket if we were to rent it out. Is it worth it to keep this property and rent it out or should I just walk away with the profits and re-invest it into a multi-family? 

[Madison Carlson]

Hi John,

Seems like you are in a great position here. My brokerage specializes in residential real estate, property management and short/long term rentals. We are still primarily in a sellers market. You are in a position where you have an advantage with both approaches selling or renting. Although I would be curious to run some projections for a potential rental opportunity. With your current 2.75% interest rate, that puts you in an ideal position to optimize on rental revenue opportunities. Although rates have slowly dropped and are now in the low-sub 5%, can't really beat that 2.75% rate... 2022 projections anticipate rental increases as high as 9.1%, and with your low interest rate you could see some great cash flow by renting. Not to mention the appreciation aspect and upside with your property value increasing. San Diego is currently landlord friendly with no local rent control, although this could change in the future with talk of permit changes and regulations. Happy to connect and talk more about various strategies and opportunities!