Tools

Ask a Question
Start a Discussion
Close
Create an Email Alert

Alerts are a great way for you to stay up-to-date on things you care about. We will email you a list of the new items that match your criteria at a time of your choosing.

This alert is for the following:

Topic:
Anyone recently made the transition from owning to ...

How often would you like the alert emailed?

Frequency:

Immediately Daily Weekly
Maximum 20 emails/day

Save

Cancel E-mail alerts
RSS
Send to del.icio.us
Send to StumbleUpon
Print page

Partner Tools

Views: 305
US
Washington
Nearby States
- Alabama
- Alaska
- American Samoa
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Guam
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virgin Islands
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington D.C.
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Don't see it?

Find:
Seattle
Nearby Cities
- Auburn
- Beaux Arts
- Bellevue
- Black Diamond
- Bothell
- Bryn Mawr-Skyway
- Burien
- Cascade-Fairwood
- Cottage Lake
- Covington
- Des Moines
- Duvall
- East Hill-Meridian
- East Renton Highlands
- Eastgate
- Enumclaw
- Federal Way
- Hobart
- Inglewood-Finn Hill
- Issaquah
- Kenmore
- Kent
- Kingsgate
- Kirkland
- Lake Forest Park
- Lake Morton-Berrydale
- Lakeland North
- Lakeland South
- Lea Hill
- Maple Valley
- Mercer Island
- Milton
- Mirrormont
- Newcastle
- Normandy Park
- North Bend
- Pacific
- Redmond
- Renton
- Riverton-Boulevard Park
- Sammamish
- Seatac
- Shoreline
- Tukwila
- Union Hill-Novelty Hill
- Vashon
- White Center
- Winslow
- Woodinville
Don't see it?

Find:
Neighborhood
Nearby Neighborhoods
- Admiral
- Alki
- Arbor Heights
- Atlantic
- Ballard
- Beacon Hill
- Belltown
- Bitter Lake
- Blue Ridge
- Briarcliff
- Brighton
- Broadmoor
- Broadview
- Broadway
- Bryant
- Capitol Hill
- Cascade
- Cedar Park
- Central
- Columbia City
- Crown Hill
- Denny Triangle
- Downtown
- Dunlap
- East Ballard
- East Queen Anne
- Eastlake
- Fairmount Park
- Fauntleroy
- First Hill
- Fremont
- Garfield
- Gatewood
- Genesee
- Georgetown
- Green Lake
- Greenwood
- Haller Lake
- Harbor Island
- Hawthorne Hills
- High Point
- Highland Park
- Hillman City
- Holly Park
- Industrial District
- Interbay
- International District
- Jackson Place
- Judkins Park
- Junction
- Lakewood
- Laurelhurst
- Lawton Park
- Leschi
- Little Saigon
- Lower Queen Anne
- Loyal Heights
- Madison Park
- Madison Valley
- Madrona
- Maple Leaf
- Matthews Beach
- Meadowbrook
- Minor
- Montlake
- Mt. Baker
- North Beach
- North Beacon Hill
- North College Park
- North Delridge
- North Gate
- North Queen Anne
- Olympic Hills
- Olympic Manor
- Phinney Ridge
- Pinehurst
- Pioneer Square
- Portage Bay
- Rainier Beach
- Rainier View
- Ravenna
- Riverview
- Roosevelt
- Roxhill
- Sand Point
- Seaview
- Seward Park
- South Beacon Hill
- South Delridge
- South Lake Union
- South Park
- Southeast Magnolia
- Sunset Hill
- University District
- Uptown
- Victory Heights
- View Ridge
- Wallingford
- Waterfront
- Wedgwood
- West Queen Anne
- Westlake
- Whittier Heights
- Windermere
- Woodland
- Yesler Terrace
Don't see it?

Find:

Anyone recently made the transition from owning to renting their family home?

Contributions: 8

Q&A

:4
Disc

:4

Hi- Whitney from Zillow.

Curious to talk to those who have recently made the transition from owning to renting their primary family home. How's it going? Are you enjoying the extra cash and less stress? How's your landlord? Why'd you decide to rent?

Flag content

February 11 - Seattle

RSS

Answers (1)

jonestim
Contributions: 68

jonestim

Contributions: 68

Q&A

:27
Disc

:41

View full profile

I made the transition about 14 months ago. In that time the value of the house I sold has dropped about $60-70k, which would have wiped out almost all the gains I pocketed.    It was the best financial decision I have ever made.

Renting is ok. The house is bigger (1950 sq ft vs 1200), so it costs more to heat it, but the upside is - it's a bigger house for cheaper.

I can't imagine the stress I would be under if I still owned.   It wasn't the house I wanted to bring my future children up in - the small bedrooms were 8x10.   If I had not sold I would soon owe more on it than I could sell it for and would be stuck in it, without being able to afford a remodel.

Instead I am renting, and in another year I will be able to buy a well built, modest sized house (1800-2000sq ft) with a mortgage low enough that my wife won't have to work.   It was a truly great decision.

Flag content

February 11

Have a question? Ask it here.

Most Active Seattle Real Estate Agents

Silverdale Realty

88 listings

Local Expert
Mark Anderson

36 listings

Local Expert
chuckcadyassociates

28 listings

Local Expert
Cathy Hartmann-Gladwell

26 listings

Local Expert
Pat Lord

21 listings

Local Expert

See more Seattle real estate agents

Question If I want to buy, shouldn't I work with an agent who writes lots of offers as just list homes?

Asked by Sam DeBord
September 28

In Rent vs. Buy
No Answers - 80 Views

Question How much is homeowner's insurance?

Latest answer by Eric Kossian
May 28

In Rent vs. Buy
5 Answers - 512 Views

Question Buying in Common

Latest answer by Kevin Lisota
April 26

In Rent vs. Buy
4 Answers - 200 Views

Question Anyone recently made the transition from owning to renting their family home?

Latest answer by jonestim
February 11

In Rent vs. Buy
1 Answer - 305 Views

See More

Guide How to do Lease option - by Example

In Rent vs. Buy
Edited December 02 2008

Guide Home Rental Guide

In Rent vs. Buy
Edited December 01 2008

Guide Which is Better? Renting or Buying?

In Rent vs. Buy
Edited November 14 2008

Guide The Buyer's Market versus the Renter's Market

In Rent vs. Buy
Edited November 12 2008

Guide The Advantage of Renting a Home

In Rent vs. Buy
Edited November 12 2008

See more articles about Rent vs. Buy

Current Mortgage Rates

Current Last Week

30 Year Fixed

15 Year Fixed

5/1 ARM

Get this widget

<div style="width:298px;height:123px;border:1px solid #adcfff;overflow:hidden;text-align:center;font-family:verdana,arial,sans-serif;font-size:8pt;line-height:13x;background-color:#eff3ff;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;">
		<div style="margin: 0 6px;">
			<div style="margin-top:6px;">
				<a href="http://www.zillow.com/Mortgage_Rates/#{scid=mor-wid-lthd}" target="_blank" style="font-size:9pt;color:#36b;text-decoration:none;font-weight:bold;">
				   
						Current
				   
				         
				   Mortgage Rates</a>
			</div>   
			
			<div style="color:#555;margin:5px 0 1px;">
				<span style="padding-left:137px;">Current</span>
				<span style="padding-left:23px;">Last Week</span>
			</div>

<div style="background:#fff;height:60px;width:284px;border:1px solid #adcfff;text-align:left;">
				<div style="width:146px;float:left;">
					<div style="height:20px;background-color:#fff;">
						<div style="padding:3px 0 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.zillow.com/30_Year_Fixed_Mortgage_Rates/#{scid=mor-wid-ltt1}" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:underline;color:#36b;">30 Year Fixed</a></div>
					</div>
					<div style="height:20px;background-color:#eff7ff;">
						<div style="padding:3px 0 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.zillow.com/15_Year_Fixed_Mortgage_Rates/#{scid=mor-wid-ltt2}" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:underline;color:#36b;">15 Year Fixed</a></div>
					</div>
					<div style="height:20px;background-color:#fff;">
						<div style="padding:3px 0 0 4px;"><a href="http://www.zillow.com/5-1_ARM_Mortgage_Rates/#{scid=mor-wid-ltt3}" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:underline;color:#36b;">5/1 ARM</a></div>
					</div>
				</div>
					
				<iframe title="Current Mortgage Rates" frameborder="0" height="60" scrolling="no" width="138" src="/mortgage/MortgageRateTableWidget.htm?wide=1&region=102001">
						Your browser doesn't support frames.  Visit 
					<a href="http://www.zillow.com/mortgage/" target="_blank" style="text-decoration:none; font-size:9pt; font-weight:bold;">Zillow Mortgage Marketplace</a> 
					to see this content.
				</iframe>
				<div style="clear:both;"></div>
			</div>
			
			<div style="margin:4px 6px 0;height:15px;width:276px;">
				<a href="http://www.zillow.com/mortgage/#{scid=mor-wid-ltgr}" target="_blank" title="Zillow Mortgage Marketplace" style="display:block;margin-left:4px;height:15px;width:145px;float:left;"><img src="/static/images/zillow-mortgage-logo-small.gif" alt="Mortgages, Home Loans, and Mortgage Quotes at Zillow Mortgage Marketplace" style="border:none;"/></a>
				   
				<a href="http://www.zillow.com/webtools/widgets/MortgageRateWidget.htm#{scid=mor-wid-ltget}" target="_blank" style="font-size:7pt;color:gray;text-decoration:none;float:right;margin:1px 5px 0 0;width:80px;">Get this widget</a>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>

Need a Mortgage?

Zillow Mortgage Marketplace

Competitive rates
Accurate, custom quotes
Thousands of lenders

... and, it's free and anonymous

Learn about Zillow Mortgage Marketplace

Zillow Poll:

Suggested by interested buyer 2

How many bedrooms are you looking for in a home?

Next poll
Suggest a poll

Be A Good Neighbor

Zillow® Advice depends on each member to keep it a safe, fun, and positive place. If you see abuse, flag it. More on our Good Neighbor Policy

All Results (665)

Zillow FAQs (0)

Home Buying (22)

Home Selling (39)

Mortgage (25)

Housing Market (3)

Local Topics (10)

Home Ownership (28)

Home Improvement (3)

Home Q&A (495)

Pro-to-Pro (6)

Other (34)

Tools

Create an Email Alert

This alert is for the following:

How often would you like the alert emailed?

Partner Tools

Anyone recently made the transition from owning to renting their family home?

Contributions: 8

Contributions: 68

Have a question? Ask it here.

Most Active Seattle Real Estate Agents

Related Questions

Question If I want to buy, shouldn't I work with an agent who writes lots of offers as just list homes?

Question How much is homeowner's insurance?

Question Buying in Common

Question Anyone recently made the transition from owning to renting their family home?

Related Articles about Rent vs. Buy

Guide How to do Lease option - by Example

Guide Home Rental Guide

Guide Which is Better? Renting or Buying?

Guide The Buyer's Market versus the Renter's Market

Guide The Advantage of Renting a Home

Need a Mortgage?

Get instant mortgage quotes

Be A Good Neighbor

Tools

Create an Email Alert

This alert is for the following:

How often would you like the alert emailed?

Partner Tools

Nearby States

Nearby Cities

Nearby Neighborhoods

Anyone recently made the transition from owning to renting their family home?

Contributions: 8

Main Image

Answers (1)

Contributions: 68

Have a question? Ask it here.

Most Active Seattle Real Estate Agents

Related Questions

Question If I want to buy, shouldn't I work with an agent who writes lots of offers as just list homes?

Question How much is homeowner's insurance?

Question Buying in Common

Question Anyone recently made the transition from owning to renting their family home?

Related Articles about Rent vs. Buy

Guide How to do Lease option - by Example

Guide Home Rental Guide

Guide Which is Better? Renting or Buying?

Guide The Buyer's Market versus the Renter's Market

Guide The Advantage of Renting a Home

Need a Mortgage?

Get instant mortgage quotes

Be A Good Neighbor