Should We Rent or move into our SFH Rental

Should We Rent or move into our SFH Rental

Member since 2018 · 18 posts · 3 votes

Hello, 

We have three cash flowing rental properties and our primary home. We are looking to move into our least cash flowing home ($250/mo) which also has the smallest monthly mortgage payment ($860/mo); our mortgage for our primary home is twice the amount. If we move into our rental, this will allow us to rent out our current primary home and have a good cash flowing property (about $800/mo) and it will lower our monthly expenses. This will require us to move to another state where my annual income could decrease by 10%, since job salaries in this state are lower.

Another idea we had was to rent out our primary home and rent for ourselves, as long as our rent cost is less then our current mortgage. This way we can have four rental properties versus three, and we can also avoid having to relocate out of state.

Is any one in this current situation? Any thoughts on what the better route may be? Our ultimate goal is to decrease expenses and use the extra income to pay down our properties more quickly. Thank you!

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  • Dan WeberBusiness Member
    Realtor · Portland, ME · Member since 2015 · 655 posts · 552 votes
    4y

    Do you want to move to another part of the country? If this is something that excites you, then I would go that route and take advantage of that opportunity, even if you may take a slight pay decrease. If you enjoy the area that you live and don't really want to move from there, then I would either move into that house with the least amount of cash flow OR rent, as you mentioned. If you decide to rent, I would also consider selling the house with the small amount of cash flow if you have a bunch of equity in it because you could likely roll those gains into an asset with better returns. Good luck!

  • Member since 2018 · 18 posts · 3 votes
    4y
    Hi Dan,
    Thank you for your response. It is a neighboring state, so it wouldn't be a big move like moving across the country. The change in lifestyle wouldn't be too different if we moved. There might be less things for us to do there for fun, but maybe we will have more opportunities to travel. I think what we like about moving and downsizing from where we live is it will cut our living expenses in half, especially in a time where inflation is accelerating at a rapid pace. It will also allow us to continue save money and invest. Hopefully this decision will help us achieve financial freedom faster.
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