Pros and Cons of Renting Your Home Instead of Selling

Typically, homeowners anticipating a move will seek to sell their current home, often needing the cash from the sale to help purchase their next home. Sometimes, circumstances have homeowners wondering what the pros and cons of renting your home are and whether it’s feasible to turn the old home into an investment funded by renters.

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Market overview for renting and selling

Rent prices and vacancies are stabilizing

After a sharp increase in apartment rents during the pandemic, U.S. rental markets are beginning to cool off. The national rental vacancy rate stood at 7.2% in the fourth quarter of 2025, around the same rate as the same period last year (6.9%), according to U.S. Census Bureau data.

When vacancy rates stabilize, rent prices tend to follow suit. Apartments.com reports that in January 2026, rent prices increased by 0.4% compared to last year. Hollywood, FL, saw the biggest rent increase at 6.5%, followed by Brooklyn, NY (5.7%), and Miami Beach, FL (4.1%).

The surge in new units caused vacancy rates to rise and rents to fall in some markets, most notably the Sun Belt, where supply continues to outpace demand. A slowdown in building new apartments is expected in 2026, depending on market conditions at the start of the year. This construction slowdown could push rent prices higher in 2026 as inventory tightens.

The rental market looks stable for would-be landlords, but let’s look at the climate for selling your home.

Home sales slow down as mortgage rates and prices increase

Record-high home prices and elevated mortgage rates dampened home sales across the country in 2025. However, inventory is gradually increasing as home sellers aim to capitalize on the equity they have rapidly accumulated since 2021. According to Cotality, as of December 2025, the average U.S. mortgage holder boasts $299,000 in equity.

In December 2025, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that existing-home sales grew by 1.4% year-over-year, reaching a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.35 million. The median price of an existing home climbed 0.4% to $405,400 — the 30th consecutive month of year-over-year price increases. Meanwhile, the 30-year mortgage interest rate hovered around 6.11%.

The inventory of unsold existing homes stood at 1.18 million at the end of December 2025, an 18.1% decrease compared to the same period a year earlier. This equated to 3.3 months’ supply, which is indicative of a seller’s market. For context, a balanced market typically has 5 to 7 months of supply.



from HomeLight Blog https://hl-blog.homelight.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-renting-your-home/

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