If you find out you’re relocating because of work or school or military orders, you will face the question of whether you should rent out your home or sell it. The only way to decide is by knowing what your goals are for the property and whether you want to keep it in the long term or the short term. Knowing what you want to do and whether you plan to return to the area will impact your best answer to this question.
Selling the Property
If you decide you want to sell, make sure it works financially. You’ll need to have enough equity in the property in order to sell it. You also want to make sure you aren’t planning to come back to the Chula Vista or San Diego area in the next few years.
Renting the Property
When you decide to keep the home and rent it out, you’ll need to be familiar with California landlord and tenant law. There are a lot of regulations in place and you’ll need to know them. You’ll also need to have a list of vendors who are licensed, insured and reputable. When you’re converting your property to a rental, you don’t want just anyone going into the property, doing repairs and dealing with tenants. That can lead to problems.
Hiring a professional property management company to take care of all of this is a great idea when you’re moving out of town. A licensed property manager can come in and take the guesswork out of it and get the place rent ready. Remember that professional management fees are tax deductible as well, which can be a major benefit to holding onto your property and renting it out.
If you are not working with a San Diego County property manager, make sure you have someone local who will be your eyes and ears in the area. It’s important to have someone you know and trust who can validate repair requests and keep an eye on the property. Find someone who can drive by and make sure it’s not deteriorating in your absence.
Deciding whether to rent vs. sell your home when you’re moving out of town is a personal decision and depends on many factors. If you need help analyzing your options, please contact us at Elite Property Management in Chula Vista, and we’d be happy to assist you if you don’t know whether to rent vs. sell.
We proudly serve San Diego, Chula Vista, National City, Lemon Grove, La Mesa, and surrounding areas.