Sell vs Rent Your House Calculator — Rex's Toolbox

Rex says

Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.

Try a scenario

Click to load — tweak from there.

Inputs

Current home value($)

Remaining mortgage balance($)

Agent + closing cost %(%)

Expected monthly rent($)

Monthly expenses (mgmt, maintenance, vacancy)($)

Years to hold as rental

Annual home appreciation(%)

Result

Higher net financial outcome

Sell Now

Net proceeds from selling now

$152,000

Net value from renting over horizon

$23,312

Difference over horizon

$128,688

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How to use this

1Enter current home value ($).
2Enter remaining mortgage balance ($).
3Enter agent + closing cost % (%).
4Enter expected monthly rent ($).
5Enter monthly expenses (mgmt, maintenance, vacancy) ($).
6Enter years to hold as rental.
7Enter annual home appreciation (%).
8Read your higher net financial outcome on the right — it updates as you type.
9Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.

About this calculator

Selling your house converts your equity into cash immediately after agent fees and closing costs, while renting it out generates ongoing cash flow and potential appreciation but comes with landlord responsibilities, vacancy risk, and management costs. This tool compares net sale proceeds against the projected net income plus appreciation from renting over your chosen holding period.

FormulaSell Net = Sale Price × (1 − Agent/Closing %) − Remaining Mortgage. Rent Net = (Monthly Rent − Expenses) × 12 × Years + Appreciation − Remaining Mortgage.

Worked example

Using the values the calculator loads with:

Inputs

Current home value: 400000 $
Remaining mortgage balance: 220000 $
Agent + closing cost %: 7 %
Expected monthly rent: 2400 $
Monthly expenses (mgmt, maintenance, vacancy): 800 $
Years to hold as rental: 7
Annual home appreciation: 3.5 %

Results

Higher net financial outcome: Sell Now
Net proceeds from selling now: $152,000
Net value from renting over horizon: $23,312
Difference over horizon: $128,688

What each field means

Inputs

Current home value ($): The current home value used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 400000 $ so you have a working example on load.
Remaining mortgage balance ($): The remaining mortgage balance used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 220000 $ so you have a working example on load.
Agent + closing cost % (%): The agent + closing cost % used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 7 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–15 %.
Expected monthly rent ($): The expected monthly rent used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 2400 $ so you have a working example on load.
Monthly expenses (mgmt, maintenance, vacancy) ($): The monthly expenses (mgmt, maintenance, vacancy) used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 800 $ so you have a working example on load.
Years to hold as rental: The years to hold as rental used in the calculation. Starts at 7 so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 1–20.
Annual home appreciation (%): The annual home appreciation used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 3.5 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–10 %.

Results

Higher net financial outcome: Returned as a plain value and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Net proceeds from selling now: Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Net value from renting over horizon: Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
Difference over horizon: Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.

FAQ

Does this include tax implications?

No — selling a primary residence may qualify for capital gains exclusions, while rental income and depreciation recapture have their own tax rules; consult a tax advisor for your specific situation.

What's the biggest risk in the rental scenario?

Vacancy and unexpected major repairs are the most common surprises; the monthly expenses input should include a healthy vacancy and repair reserve, not just routine costs.

Should I hire a property manager?

A property manager typically costs 8-10% of rent and is included in the monthly expenses input if you want hands-off ownership rather than self-managing.

Accuracy and limitations

Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.

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Cite this calculator

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APA

RevenueLab. (2026). Sell vs Rent Your House Cost Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/sell-vs-rent-your-house-cost

HTML

<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/sell-vs-rent-your-house-cost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sell vs Rent Your House Cost Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>

Markdown

Source: [Sell vs Rent Your House Cost Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/sell-vs-rent-your-house-cost) (2026).