Weddingbee boards

Awhile back I posted asking for input about renting out our house. Well, we're taking the leap and our realtor found us a great renter - one of her client's that sold their house and haven't found a new one yet. Met them this weekend - very nice people and reassured me that they'll take good care of the house because they know what goes into selling a home. They're signing a 6 month lease, with a month-to-month option after that, and are okay with us putting the house back on the market in the spring while they still live there. I feel so much better knowing our realtor recommended these people, and that they aren't just some strangers that our property management firm found.

Next step: they need to be in Nov. 12, which means we need a place to live! DH and I looked at 5 houses this weekend and are looking at 3 more on Thursday. Luckily, through my work Classified ads, I found us a month-to-month rental 5 minutes from my work (and 10-15 minutes from DH's work) which means we will cut our commute just in time for winter. And we have lots of flexibility once we find our forever home.

*huge sigh of relief*

One thing I learned (for those of you thinking if renting your home) is if you rent it at a loss, you can claim that on your taxes because it's no longer your primary dwelling. So although we're renting our house for $150/month less than what our mortgage is, we're getting a slight tax benefit out of it. And the apartment we're leasing on a month-to-month basis is super cheap, so we're going to be able to save a bit each month on our overall housing costs.

Next step: find our next home before my baby belly gets too big!

Thanks bees, for all your input into the good, bad and ugly of renting a home.

@MrsSl82be: We're going with a property management company so we don't have to worry about emergency maintenance. We will probably still have to go to the house in the spring to take care of the landscaping, but the renter is responsible for mowing and shoveling.

And just when we thought we had it all figured out - we had another showing of our house last night and the buyer loved it. It will be pretty ironic if we end up getting an offer right before we were scheduled to take it off the market. But I'm not holding my breath!