Josh I have clients in your situation all the time.You are asking a complex decision question in a brief paragraph.

I want to get into real estate but the decision is should we rent out the townhouse that we stay in currently or should we try to buy another property?

The properties are in distressed areas and after owning them for 15yrs, I made the decision to short sale the properties.

Always remember, you are running a business and your decisions have to be business decisions.What I learned after my first experience was don't let Fair Housing Laws scare you into taking bad tenants!!

@Halie Richards that's a personal decision based on you specific financial situation.

Delivery is set for 2022.Decisions... decisions...

Winning can be losing if you let the heat of the competition cause you to make bad decisions.

If they meet your basic requirements but you failed to rent to them because you were holding out for someone better, it will look like you were holding out for someone whiter, or without kids, or not Jewish, or whatever.If you have two applications processed at the same time, it's justifiable to choose the "best" applicant but you need to ensure you can prove your decision objectively.The best, most professional policy is to have qualification standards and accept the first applicant that meets those standards.

However, I don't think this will make an impact on the investment decision.

Housing can be influenced by their labor and business decisions.