My wife and I our selling our first home we bought together about 3 years ago. I got a new job down in Houston and we decided to sell rather than worry about the headache or hassle of renting it out.

We bought the property for $100k (3 bd-2ba-2ga) approximately 1200 sqft. We now owe right around 84k on the home and plan to list around 150k or so.

Any advice from those who've sold their houses recently to make sure we can maximize our profits on equity? Thanks in advance.

Have you considered doing a cash-out refi and then renting it out after you move?

Edit - never mind, I see you're not wanting to rent it out. I still would though. Just hire a property management company. No headache

We just did the same thing.

What shape is the house in? I felt like the things that were helpful were

1) Making a list of the small things that need to be done (light bulbs, doors that don't quite work right, etc), then knocking them out one-by-one
2) Hiring specialists in the few things I was never going to learn (roofing, plumbing, etc)
3) New paint on the walls. It took some time, but just made a huge difference to the people looking at the house
4) Use an agent for marketing, but set the price yourself based on market knowledge. Agents are just too strongly incented to sell the maximum number of houses, not the max price per house. We priced our house $20k above the agents recommendation, and we got $10k above the agents recommendation.

If your interest rate is in the 3s, it's not getting any better than that. I'd rent it out and let someone else pay the mortgage. Since the payments on that are probably low, you should be able to get a second mortgage for a new house.

Definitely use a professional photographer, don't use friends for a realtor, and don't forget that the realtor works for you.

Just make sure you know the comps. If homes are moving in your market and the comps say $150k, then cool. If the comps say 130k or the market is slow with other inventory out there, then be mindful.

What part of Houston are looking at moving to? I'd certainly like to earn your business
Chad@teamcrider.com

At that price point I'd think about just getting it as clean as possible and doing a flat fee listing. Maybe repaint if it needs it.

Also if you can make it work I would keep and rent it. Sell it in 15 years for 200 when it's free and clear and boom, kids college fund

If you can get 150k I would sell. After fees etc that will likely be about 35 to 50k in profit if you still owe 84 but that seems a bit high if bought at 100k
My reason is this. You don't have much time invested I the property and the yearly interest is too much not just to take the cash and start over
If you were much further along then renting might have been an option

Edit on the amount you should net. I had too many zeros before

gigemtrev,
Like others have said, if the numbers pencil, I would hold it as a rental. Being a landlord has its pros and cons, but for me, the pros outweigh the cons by far. If you are firm on selling, my company offers $1,200 flat fee, full service listings and up to a 2% commission rebate on purchases. At your price point on the sale, our model could save you around $3,000. Check out our website at: www.myredpear.com or call or text me at (713) 303-9025.