Should I sell or rent?

[Brian Williams]

Hey fellow BP members, Brian Williams here. I have a bit of a dilemma on my hands. I purchased a new house in 2018 for $236k using a USDA loan (no down payment). Since then, the neighborhood has increased in value due to about 100 new houses being built in the neighborhood since I made my purchase. The current market value of my house is now around $270k. I'm having trouble deciding if I should sell it and take the profits to invest in another property or should I rent it out? 

• * I stand to make about $30-35k if I sell now with current market conditions
• * Current mortgage is $1417 per month. Would be trying to rent for $1650 (current estimate around $1695) per month.

My goal is to eventually build wealth through rentals but I do need to increase my capital for other expenditures. Hence my dilemma. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. BTW this is my second "house-hack" property, still a newbie here.

[Carleton C.]

Would you be making that $30-$35k after all of the expenses and fees (realtor fees, capital gain taxes if that applies to you, etc.)? 

Another option may be to keep the house, rent it out, and take out a loan against the equity that you have and use that money to invest in another property.