Are you thinking “Should I sell or rent my house in Ontario? Make sure you know the surprising truth of being a landlord in Ontario because it’s not always what you think it’s going to be…
Owning a rental property seems like a great idea. You find a tenant, and then you profit from the rental income while you manage the property… how hard could it be?
Problem is, it’s often much harder than people realize and you may find (as many landlords do) the surprising truth of being a landlord in Ontario: You give up some of your personal life – no more private time … all because your tenant can call you at any time.
There’s the work required when deciding “Should I sell or rent my house”.
You’ll need to find a good realtor who will require you to keep your house presentable for every showing. Owning a rental will keep you busy. There’s the work required to fix it up, then to find a tenant, then to answer the phone from them every time they call. Even if they call late at night because the toilet is overflowing, you have to take their call and deal with it. That means: no more uninterrupted vacations because what will happen if the toilet overflows while you’re in a different country?
There’s the time
If you’re still thinking “Should I sell or rent my house”, Some landlords try to own a rental property while they have another job but many discover that it’s just as time-consuming… Between chasing down your tenants to fixing things around the house, it’s one thing after another and you may find yourself being pulled away from your current job… and that’s with ONE rental property. Landlords who own two or more are even busier. If you decide to put your house on the market, you’ll need to spend time keeping the house presentable at all times because you never know when a potential buyer will want to see your house.
There’s the cost
There are costs for selling a house. Renovations, realtor commission, moving costs, staging costs, cost of eating out because you need to keep the kitchen clean are just a few costs associated with selling your house. Rental properties aren’t cheap. Sure you get some rental income from the tenant but you also have to take care of the property, fix it up, make upgrades, and repair it if the tenants trash it when they leave. When deciding “Should I sell or rent my house”, the costs add up and the financial rewards of owning a rental property may not be there for you. Some landlords end up putting money into the house every month because the rent doesn’t cover everything, such as mortgage, ongoing maintenance, etc.
There’s the stress
When you add up all of those things so far, it equals STRESS! You’ve got so much to juggle with the rental property, and you worry about it constantly, and perhaps you even fear opening the mail because you may find bad news in the next envelope. That’s no way to live. Deciding “Should I sell or rent my house”, is not an easy one.
If you own a property and want to sell it without the work, costs or the stress, we can help. We buy properties in any condition. Can we make you an offer on yours?