10/13/2026
Keeping your old house and renting it out sounds simple. It's manageable — but five things change the day a tenant moves in, and every one of them is easier to handle before than after.
🏦 Your lender — most primary-residence mortgages require you to move in and live there for a set period first. Confirm where you stand before you plan around it.
🛡️ Your insurance — a standard homeowner's policy doesn't cover a home rented out long-term, and a landlord policy generally runs about 25% more.
📋 Your HOA — rental caps, minimum lease terms, and approval processes are the reason some owners can't take this path at all.
🔑 Your tenant — screening, a proper lease, security deposit rules, and your state's and city's landlord-tenant law. This is the part that goes wrong when it's rushed.
⏰ Your time — a few hours a month in a quiet stretch, and whole days when something breaks or someone moves out. The 2 a.m. water heater call is real.
Nothing on that list is a reason not to do it. All of it is a reason to do it on purpose.
Read the full article: https://traciwells.myagent.site/sell-it-or-rent-it-out-how-to-decide-what-to-do-with-your-home-when-you-move/
