Looking for a way out

[Tyler Herlihy]

Here's the story. September 2017 I bought a house in the suburbs of the city. At the time it was a great spot. Close to several things I like to do, lots of space, etc. I had a job located 10-15 minutes away in a office also located in the suburbs therefore it was not a bad commute.

I wasn't a big fan of the job I was in so I started searching for a new job. 4 months after buying my house, I found a position that I enjoy much better located less than a 1/4 mile from where I lived before I bought! I could have walked to work! Bummer. I now travel with traffic into the city during rush hour adding 20-25 mins to my commute and a lot of travel back and forth because now I find that most things I do work and personal related are in the area I was in before and I have to juggle home responsibilities and the rest of my life ~25 minutes apart from each other. 

While its not the end of the world if I can't, I'd really like to move back closer to work and friends. I am not sure I can make any money on the house I'm in since it really hasn't increased in value much since I bought and even if  I do, I still have the capital gains tax to worry about as I have only been in the house a little over a year.

I am looking for more creative options to get back to the area I was in before that won't leave me at a large loss. I'm interested in the REI/flipping/rentals as an investment vehicle (hence why I'm on this site) but I'm not sure this is the way to get into it. Does anyone have any suggestions for avenues to get out? Thanks in advance.