Mt. Bachelor Property Management Blog

Renting vs. Selling Property


Lisa Berg - Friday, December 23, 2022

Choosing between selling vs. rental property is a big decision and needs careful evaluation. Learn everything you need to know to make that decision.

If you have a new job, want to move, or have the chance to buy your dream home, you may have to decide whether to sell or rent your property. If you choose to rent, your tenant may become a new source of revenue for you. However, if you sell, you can use the equity to subsidize the cost of your new house.

When a homeowner entirely relocates, they usually choose to sell their house rather than rent it out. This is particularly true for homeowners, who only visit the town or city they left behind to check on their property.

On the other hand, homeowners who plan to return to their home after a few years may be more likely to rent it out to pay the mortgage while they are away. They can collaborate with a reliable property management company and outsource the short-term rental property. Homeowners with a strong attachment to their home or neighborhood will particularly like this option. The main drawback is that homeowners in this group will need to temporarily assume the role of a landlord or employ a property manager.

Benefits of Selling Property


Only some people are suited for rental property management. For instance, only some people want to be a landlord, which should strongly influence their choice of whether to rent. Selling the house makes greater financial sense for some people. Here are some advantages of buying as opposed to renting:

1. Build Your Equity

You can recoup your equity when you sell your house and utilize the money for a down payment on a new home or other investments with higher returns.

2. Support Your Finances

It's not possible to rent a home in some housing markets, and the application pool may be weak because of low demand for rentals, or the price-to-rent ratios may be off. Because of this, more than your revenue will be needed to cover your costs (such as property taxes, mortgage payments, management, landlord insurance, etc.), and you'll start to lose money on your investment. Selling, however, can enable you to realize earnings quickly.

3. Avoid Market Downturn

This could be your ticket out of a real estate bust if you keep up with all the housing market information and believe you know how it's likely to unfold. Selling will be your best alternative by a wide margin if the prognosis is not favorable. You will simply be losing the money you could have used to buy another home if the real estate market conditions genuinely start to turn for the worst. Therefore, a better option if this scenario applies is to take the money and leave.

4. Protects You From Dropping Home Values

You should assess the past trends in your neighborhood if you aim to rent a house for a brief time. Do home values increase or decrease over time? It would be better to sell your home now rather than later if they have been declining. 

Disadvantages to Selling Property


There are also various disadvantages of selling your property compared to renting it out for short-term:

You Could Take a Loss

One of the most subtle drawbacks is the possibility of taking a paper loss or modest gain when selling your property instead of renting. Renting can be a fantastic substitute for waiting and wriggling out of a terrible purchase. You can be the owner of a lemon that will never appreciate in value. The risks of playing the long game are pretty small.

Selling Requires Updates to Your Home

If you're considering selling your house, you can believe everything is taken care of, and it isn't. Before you begin the sales process, your home needs updating, and maintenance costs are high. So, what do you know? Once the sale has been completed and a potential buyer has been found, they may need modifications or improvements. There is no avoiding it. Refusing to make the upgrades? Be prepared to have your sales price reduced—another justification for having reasonable expectations regarding the proceeds.

Benefits of Renting Property Short Term


Short-term rentals can be far more profitable than selling and long-term rentals. But short-term rentals can also be much more time-consuming and include more risks. Conduct your research and carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a short-term investment.

Earning Potential

Short-term rentals can be highly profitable, as we have discussed. Property owners can determine their pricing according to their needs, the season, the type of property, and other factors. These elements suggest a great deal of opportunity for some satisfactory earnings.

Additionally, if you spend a significant portion of the year working elsewhere, you can rent out your home while you are away. This is a straightforward approach to making some extra money.

Less Wear And Tear

Overuse leads to property damage and other deterioration in a long-term renting arrangement. The benefit of having a short-term rental is that tenants constantly move in and out. This indicates that the property isn't used frequently, greatly reducing wear and tear. Your maintenance expenditures decrease as little labor is required to fix the house.

Moreover, if you need to perform any repair, you can use the interval between two people utilizing your property. This implies that by keeping an eye on your property, you can stop any more harm from occurring.

Social Benefits

Some property owners may be interested in any number of societal advantages. How much engagement you have with your guests is up to you as the owner or host. Meeting your tenants can be socially beneficial if you enjoy making new friends and having people around.

Should I Rent or Sell My Property?


Renting has several advantages over selling your house. You will be your boss as a landlord in the first place. Usually, you are free to choose your working hours and set your rental rates. You can rent for a week, every two weeks, a month, or more.

The biggest benefit of renting out real estate is the passive income. You must keep up with maintenance and repairs, but generally, the money will come in each month with little to no effort. You can employ a property manager to take care of all the administrative duties, maintenance needs, and repairs if you want to lessen the amount of labor you have to put into the property.

A professional with a high proficiency in managing rental property is a property manager. They can significantly increase the value of your investment in rental property. They aid in various ways, helping with fundamental business activities, property maintenance, and repairs that need to be made.

Property managers aid in potential tenant screening, enabling you to rent your home to better-qualified tenants. They deal with legal matters that can affect you as a landlord. Additionally, there will be fewer vacancies between tenants.

Why Renting Short Term is Profitable


Short term rentals can be fairly profitable. Although there are numerous factors to consider, including the neighborhood, maintenance providers, and upfront costs, short-term rentals typically result in higher returns than long-term rentals.

A short-term rental often generates a minimum of three times the rental income of a standard annual rental when you compare two comparable houses in the same neighborhood. Holiday rentals are also an excellent inflation hedge because they offer more opportunities to change the rental price.

Short-term rentals have other benefits as well. For instance, they can help you reduce your housing expenses. Short-term rentals might be a great choice if you reside in a city and need to find affordable housing.

Additionally, short-term rentals could provide a change of pace. They may be an excellent solution if you reside in a city and lack the time or resources to buy a home.

Looking to Rent Out Your Property? We Can Help!

Making a strategy for your current home is necessary when moving to a new place. Will you keep it and rent it out to renters or and sell it? Selling versus renting is a significant choice that shouldn't be rushed.

You can only decide to rent or sell your house after you weigh your preferences for becoming a landlord against your financial situation. You can find out if the housing market will support renting or selling your home by consulting a local real estate agent.

Additionally, you should consult a top property management company, such as Mt. Bachelor Property Management in Bend, if you decide to rent your home. We at Mt. Bachelor Property Management are more than happy to assist you in managing your investment to generate reliable profits. Contact us immediately to learn more about the advantages of outsourcing your property management.



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