Sell it, or rent it out?
The question is not which feels safer, it is which does more with the money you already have tied up in the house. That means comparing the equity you would free against what the home earns you by being kept and let.
Get a sell-or-keep verdictWork out the equity, not the price
What matters is the value minus what you still owe, minus what selling costs. That net figure is the capital actually in play, and it is usually a lot less than the price on the board.
Yield on equity, not on price
A rental yielding 6% of the purchase price is a very different proposition once a bond eats most of the rent. The honest measure is the return on the equity you are choosing to leave in the property.
What the proceeds would earn instead
Money-market and income funds are the fair comparison for freed equity: liquid, low risk, and taxed as income. If the house cannot beat that after carrying costs, holding it is a preference rather than an investment decision.
Do not forget what selling costs
Commission, bond cancellation and possible capital gains tax are one-off costs of switching. If you bought recently, transfer duty and fees may not be recovered yet, which argues for holding a while longer.
Let Guru score it
A RealTeasy Home Valuation gives a sell, hold or rent-it-out verdict with the reasoning shown: how much stock the suburb carries, what the area is doing, what your equity earns either way, and what a tenant would actually cover.
