Landlords
Why some landlords sell instead of renting
Owning a rental sounds like passive income. Ask anyone who's done it for five years, and you'll hear a different story: it's a part-time job with full-time stress.
Here's the honest math most landlords never do. Take your annual rent. Subtract vacancies (one empty month a year is normal — that's 8% gone). Subtract repairs — budget 1–2% of the property's value yearly, more for older homes. Subtract insurance, property taxes, and the hours you spend on tenant issues, turnovers, and paperwork. What's left is your real return — and for many landlords, it's smaller than they thought, earned with more headaches than they expected.
That doesn't mean every landlord should sell. A well-located property with good tenants and professional management can be a fine long-term hold. The question is whether your property, with your involvement level, is earning its keep.
Three signs it might be time to sell
You dread the phone ringing with a tenant's number on it; deferred maintenance is piling up faster than you're addressing it; or the equity sitting in the property could do more for you somewhere else — retirement, a new investment, or simply peace of mind.
If you sell, you have choices
A tenant-occupied property can be sold directly to a buyer who specializes in them — no need to evict, no need to make it vacant. Or, if the property would appeal to an owner-occupant, selling it vacant and cleaned up often brings a higher price. The right call depends on your property, your tenants, and your timeline.
We've owned and managed rentals ourselves — the good tenants and the 2 a.m. plumbing calls. If you're weighing keep vs. sell, we'll run your real numbers with you and tell you what we'd do in your shoes. Even if the answer is "keep it," you'll leave the conversation knowing why.
Tired of landlording? Tell us about your property — no obligation, no pressure.