Renters Vacated, we want to sell, can we still make them pay

[Carolyn Meyer]

Our renters decided they were moving out after 5 months into a 2 year lease. I told them they had to pay until we found new renters or I would take legal action to get my payment. However, after a month of unsuccessful advertising we have now decided to sell. I imagine they are going to be angry and decide not to pay, knowing that it will take longer to sell versus rent. Is there anything preventing me from taking legal action to get our payment because we're deciding to sell? They are the ones who broke their lease. I was hoping to convince them to pay by saying that 5 months (or however long it takes to sell) of paying is better than ending up paying the full 2 years once we sue.