Free real estate calculator

Rent or Sell Calculator

Compare selling now with five or ten years of rental cash flow and equity.

By Calculate My Property EditorialUpdated September 30, 2026Professional review pending
01 / Your inputs

Start with your property.

Property4 inputs
USD
Use the agreed purchase price, excluding closing costs.
USD
USD
Acquisition2 inputs
USD
Cash fees paid at acquisition; do not include the down payment.
USD
Include materials, labor, permits and a contingency.
Income4 inputs
USD / month
Use rent for one unit; enter other income separately.
units
Rent above is per unit.
USD / year
Parking, laundry or other recurring revenue.
%
Apply to scheduled gross income; include credit loss.
Operating expenses8 inputs
USD / year
Use the expected post-purchase bill, including reassessment.
USD / year
Property and landlord cover, not mortgage insurance.
%
Charged against collected income in this model.
%
Routine repairs as a share of collected income.
%
Future roofs and replacements. Deducted after NOI.
USD / year
Include only owner-paid dues.
USD / year
Exclude amounts paid directly by tenants.
USD / year
Legal, accounting, licensing and other recurring costs.
Financing4 inputs
%
Contract note rate; fees and points are entered separately.
years
Remaining amortization period, not a balloon maturity.
%
One point equals 1% of loan principal.
Projection5 inputs
years
Cash flows occur at year end; sale happens in the final year.
%
Scenario assumption, not a price forecast.
%
Net income and reserves grow at the same assumed rate.
%
Selling expenses as a share of future sale price.
%
A comparison assumption for reinvesting sale proceeds.
All amounts in USD.
Your estimate

Renting advantage at end of hold

$41,883Based on your inputs · USD
Sell now net proceeds
$129,000
Invested sale proceeds
$156,948
Rental cash flows + sale equity
$198,831
The formula

Rent cash flows + future net equity vs invested sale proceeds

Assumptions & limitations (2)
  • Illustrative, pre-tax analysis. Capital reserves are deducted after NOI. Operating percentages apply to collected income.
  • The rental loan starts at the entered current mortgage balance; rate and term must match the remaining loan. Detailed sell-now costs use the same seller net-sheet engine. Positive advantage favors renting under these assumptions. Rental cash flows are not reinvested.
02 / Your next decisionSeller Net SheetRental Property
External resource

Compare your rental workflow.

Review lease, payment and accounting features before choosing landlord software.

Explore AvailExternal provider or resource. No paid referral arrangement is active.
Planning estimate. Editorially sourced; independent professional review is pending. How we calculate
The detail

Your calculation table

2 rows · full data in CSV
Hold (years)Rent cash flow + sale equityInvested sell-now proceedsRenting advantage
5198,831.13156,948.2241,882.91
10290,811.98190,951.5199,860.46
Worked example

Follow the default numbers.

With purchase price of $350,000, monthly rent of $2,400, the model gives renting advantage at end of hold: $41,883.

The formula is rent cash flows + future net equity vs invested sale proceeds. Open the breakdown to trace expenses and assumptions. Change one input at a time to see how your decision changes. This example uses scenario inputs; it is not an offer, tax bill, appraisal or legal determination.

Compare the two uses of equity

Selling now produces cash equal to current property value less payoff and selling expenses. The comparison compounds that cash at the alternative investment return. Renting retains the property, collects the shared model’s cash flows and realizes modeled net equity on the future sale. These are pre-tax scenarios, so sale taxes, rental tax benefits and alternative investment taxes can change the conclusion.

Use the current loan, not a hypothetical purchase loan

For this page, the current mortgage balance drives debt service, future payoff and equity. The acquisition LTV field from the general investment model is not a substitute for that balance. Include repairs or conversion expenses in your cash budget. Renting can involve vacancy, management, tenant obligations and a delayed sale, none of which the reinvestment scenario experiences in the same way.

Opportunity cost is a chosen assumption

The alternative-return input does not represent a promised return from a savings account or portfolio. A higher return favors selling; higher property appreciation can favor renting. This comparison accumulates rental cash flow without reinvesting it. Use the same time horizon for both scenarios and inspect the individual cash-flow and equity components before relying on their difference.

Keep your assumptions with the result

Save the calculation to your deal file to reuse compatible inputs in another tool. The file stays in this browser on this device. Download the CSV to open the complete inputs, results and schedule in Excel or Google Sheets. Use PDF to print the report or save it as a PDF. A share link includes entered financial figures in its URL, so use it only with people you intend to share those numbers with.