Renting Home Better Than Selling In This Housing Market

Q: My wife and I are making an offer soon on a single family house. Our current townhouse, purchased in 1993 for $137,000, has about $62,000 remaining on the mortgage. We need to decide whether to sell our current home or rent it out. If we rent, it seems as if we would need to sell within three years to maintain the tax break. Given the current economy, is this a worthwhile endeavor?

A: Depending on the housing market where your home is located, you’ll probably have better luck renting than selling at the moment. If you can hang onto the property for the next year or two, you’ll likely have a better chance of selling at a fair price. So, I vote for renting.

Jan. 19, 2009.