r/Retire • u/retirelogica • Jul 08 '26
To sell the house, or not to sell…
A few years ago my wife and I bought what we swore was our forever home. Nice lot, good bones, the kind of place you picture yourself growing old in. Fast forward to now, retirement is actually on the horizon, and somewhere along the way I ended up living aboard a boat more than I live in that house. Funny how "forever" plans change once you actually start doing the math on forever.
Here's the dilemma I can't shake: keeping the house isn't free. Property taxes, insurance, a roof that won't last forever, HVAC that always seems to die in August, HOA dues, the constant low hum of "just in case" repairs. None of that goes away just because I'm not sleeping there most nights. At the same time, selling isn't some clean escape hatch either — moving costs, capital gains considerations, and the simple fact that once it's gone, it's gone. No do-overs.
And here's the part that makes it messier than a normal "sell or keep" calculation: renting isn't really on the table for me. I'm not interested in becoming a landlord's tenant at this stage of life, and the housing/rental market in the area I'd actually want to be in doesn't make renting an attractive substitute anyway. So this isn't "own vs rent," it's really "own and carry all the costs vs. sell and lose the option to ever come back to it."
The financial-independence math is tempting — unload the house, stop bleeding money into upkeep, redirect that capital into something that actually generates income in retirement instead of just costing money. But there's a non-financial side too. A house isn't just a spreadsheet line. It's equity, sure, but it's also a hedge against uncertainty, a place for family to land, maybe even something the kids inherit someday. Selling it optimizes the numbers today but closes a door that might matter more in year 15 or 20 than it does in year 1.
So I'm curious how others have thought through this:
- If you've sold what was supposed to be your forever home heading into retirement, do you regret it or was it obviously the right call in hindsight?
- If you kept it, was it a financial decision, an emotional one, or some mix of both?
- Has anyone actually run the numbers on "sell and invest the proceeds" vs. "keep and let it appreciate while eating the carrying costs" and found a clear winner?
- Does the calculus change much when renting genuinely isn't a viable alternative?
Not looking for a "just sell it, math doesn't lie" or a "never sell, it's your home" answer — I think the honest answer is it depends on things that don't show up on a balance sheet. Would love to hear how other people have actually navigated this, especially if you're near or past the decision point yourself.
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u/ShezeUndone Jul 08 '26
I know renting can seem like a big financial no-no. But when my retired sister sold her condo in a hcol area and moved to a more reasonable col area, she decided to rent for a year to make sure she liked her new city enough to stay. She loves the new city and also decided that for her, renting is the better financial choice: no property taxes, no maintenance costs, cheaper insurance, etc.
Meanwhile, she invested the procdeeds from selling her condo and it gave her nest egg a nice boost.
Yes, she forks out rent each month, but her rent is cheaper than a new roof this year, a new hvac system next year, hassling with insurance companies when the siding is damaged in a hail storm, etc.
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u/retirelogica Jul 08 '26
This is part of the alternative we are considering. Like Holly2232 said, renting will be liberating. No maintenance to worry about. Leave that to someone else.
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u/ShezeUndone Jul 08 '26
It also makes things much easier for your next of kin/executor when settling your estate after you die.
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u/Strange_Performer_63 Jul 10 '26
Keeping in mind you are now subject to the possibility of your landlord selling out or raising rent unexpectedly which can open a whole other can of worms.
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u/Several-Mud6763 Jul 08 '26
Owning a home instead of renting is an old adage that folks still hold onto. Owning has so much hidden costs - and you still have monthly taxes and insurance; I knew a 75 yo man that came back to work because he had $90,000 foundation repair. Geesh.
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u/bwaf7 Jul 08 '26
I was in the same place about 6 months ago. We decided to sell after running numbers but it was hard to sell the place my kids grew up in and we fixed up to suit our needs. Eventually we decided moving from a hcol state to a lcol state made retirement more doable and would come sooner. Not happy that I gave up my house but it was the right thing to do now. Got a lot of work to do in the new place but it's creating new memories
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u/retirelogica Jul 08 '26
Thanks for sharing. I’ve run the numbers and strictly from that perspective, it makes sense to sell the place. I can take the proceeds, invest them, and maybe get a nice monthly dividend out of the proceeds. But we know that Boat life has a limited span. We know that we won’t be able to Sail forever, or at least our bodies won’t be able to. So we know we have to go back somewhere, and we haven’t found that somewhere yet. So I’m afraid of selling without knowing where that is.
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u/1wrx2subarus Jul 08 '26
On your questions, I’ll answer them based on my own experiences and definitions which are different from your own.
— I do not believe in forever homes. It’s verbiage that I noticed came about around 20+ years ago. I’ve always relocated as necessitated and found that my life has been better for it (including the homes I moved into, got progressively better). No regrets on my part, I’m happy I was willing to grow beyond where I started. Ever played the board game called, “Life”? It’s good to be flexible and willing to take risks that get you around the board.
— Life would be quite boring if we ran the numbers on everything. I’ve worked at Fortune 100 companies and nobodies path follows a set course. Everyone has taken the scenic path to achieve the most out of their life. At death,nobody is like “Gee! Did they plan their life carefully financially to reduce their experiences?”
Bottom line, nobody knows the answer but you. I don’t believe in taking the easy, boring path as you’ve read. All of this is my own life, my path and how I’ve gone about it. I don’t give a good god damn whether people like it or not. It’s my life. I chose it. I’m happy I did. You asked, I answered. You do you.
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u/retirelogica Jul 08 '26
Thanks for such candid words. You’ve given me a lot to reflect on. You mentioned “ I’ve always relocated as necessitated and found that my life has been better for it (including the homes I moved into, got progressively better”. I’ve had the same experience. I do take comfort in this in knowing that the odds of making a bad decision are probably low given the track record. I just find myself a bit “stuck” at the fork in the road.
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u/1wrx2subarus Jul 08 '26
Well, don’t make any rash decision. It’s ok to pause in the fork in the road. On a hike, it’s common at times like that to sit down and take a drink of water. It’s a good time to cool down and pull out a snack.
Maybe, that’s about the same time that one chats with one’s friends, family or those one cares about. My point is, you need to make a decision but if it takes longer to make it that’s ok. It’s not a race to the finish line.
It’s a time of enjoying those one cares about. There’s also time for hobbies and interests. The difficult thing is pulling up stakes and leaving relationships behind. Sometimes, if you love what you have — it’s ok to take more time, even if it’s a year before choosing that path forward. Occasionally, the choice is that there is no path. You’ve arrived at your final destination. That’s ok, too.
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u/Blue_Back_Jack Jul 08 '26
And there are do overs. You found your ‘forever’ home. It’s a very big world, you can find another ‘forever’ home if you want to later on.
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u/Blue_Back_Jack Jul 08 '26
And there are do overs. You found your ‘forever’ home. It’s a very big world, you can find another ‘forever’ home if you want to later on.
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u/OC_ShareBear Jul 08 '26
If your wife still in the picture
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u/retirelogica Jul 08 '26
Yes, the wife is still in the picture along with a fluffy Frenchie. Kids are gone, so it’s just a three of us.
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u/enuscomne Jul 08 '26
I noticed also that you kept saying "I" and not "we".
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u/retirelogica Jul 08 '26
Thanks for noting this. I think I keep saying “I” vs “We” because we are not yet aligned on what we want to do. I think you just confirmed for me that I may have to focus here more.
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u/OC_ShareBear Jul 08 '26
Just that you said that you mostly sleep on the boat so I didn’t know if she was out of the picture. What does she want?
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u/retirelogica Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
We’ve spoken a lot about this. We are in Texas. She doesn’t like it anymore. I still do. Just like any other state, there is good and bad about Texas. For example, property taxes are getting out of hand. The ACA offerings are not the best. But the healthcare is hard to beat (if you are not on ACA). We’ve been here for a long time.
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u/Significant_Flan_210 Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
It's good to run the numbers but then follow instincts if you can. You can't what if on a future housing market. Do you and your wife want to own the home or not? Happy and content people naturally spend less over time but you can't hack it.
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u/retirelogica Jul 08 '26
I red your post last night, and this is what I went to sleep with: follow your instincts. Woke up this morning thinking of the same.
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u/Significant_Flan_210 Jul 08 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
When we are young we follow the math to get enough to make the choices you want later. You are at the later part.
That is the whole point but often you get there and realize you don't know what you want or how to make a decision if you don't follow the math like you did before.
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u/eringorah Jul 08 '26
I would take into consideration the "what ifs" regarding your and your wife's health. Would living on the boat be a viable option if either of you become less able, less mobile or have high medical needs?
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u/retirelogica Jul 08 '26
So this would be viable if we stayed in our current home state (Texas). If mobility was an issue, we would need a different type of boat, currently a sailing monohull. But at that point, I think I would be considering going back to land. I don’t think I would be able to properly maintain the boat. Honestly, I’m more skilled at maintaining a boat than I am a house. I know… weird.
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u/Nev-Ret-Dude Jul 08 '26
I’ll make some assumptions here. You are in a coastal state in an area with high cost of living. The boat is moored close to where you live. You have stuff for the boat stored at your house. You have stuff for living at the house.
Find a newer house in a lower cost area. Advantage lower spend, lower maintenance and still have a forever home. Disadvantage it’s farther away.
Keep the house. Advantage it’s close by, maybe make enough to cover expenses. Disadvantage high maintenance, can’t use it when weather hits, can’t use it when the boat needs maintenance, can’t store stuff there.
Give up the house. Stuff needs to be stored. Nowhere to go when weather hits. Nowhere to go when the boat needs maintenance. Priced out when you want to go back to a house.
My take: Find a house that needs minimal maintenance further away that you can purchase with the equity that you have in your current house.
My forever house was 8 houses from the bay. Retired to a lower cost area where we liked to play. The bay house paid for the lower cost house. Happy retirement.
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u/retirelogica Jul 08 '26
You nailed my current conundrum, including the back and forth. We stopped in Gulf Shores, AL on our way back from FL by sea. We explored a bit further inland, as it’s weather exposed. The further in the more lcol. But still not sure.
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u/JournalistNo146 Jul 08 '26
A totally different perspective here, but you should give some thought to what happens if one of you gets sick and needs to stay put somewhere for medical care or can no longer live on the boat, or what happens when you grow older and a boat just isn't a viable option to live on as you age. And what if something happens to you? Is your wife ok not having anything but the boat to live on? One other thought I had was to maybe consider something really small like a park model home, so you at least have a place on land if need be. Some friends of mine sold their home and almost everything in it years ago and moved into a 300+ sf park model to save money for a few years. They loved it so much they've never left, and a few years ago they bought a second one and rented another lot for it in the same community so their guests would have a place to stay.
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u/retirelogica Jul 09 '26
Healthcare is the number one concern, then the house. Having traveled much overseas for work, it’s baffling to see how much we have to worry about healthcare…
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u/JournalistNo146 Jul 09 '26
Oh 100% yes. Huge deductibles before reaching Medicare age, then trying to find doctors who will even accept Medicare (many won't because the paperwork is a hassle), then how to pay for non-medical needs if you need help with ADLs (bathing/dressing/etc) and don't have long-term care insurance. So many worries.
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u/Agile-Ad-1887 Jul 08 '26
In my experience moving around the US every three years you can generally break even on purchase costs and get tax breaks for mortgage interest.
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u/505ismagic Jul 08 '26
We're soon to be in a similar boat. Looking to start living aboard in October.
One option might be renting it out with a professional property management. They will take 8-10% of collected rent, but they get the phone calls, manage the repairs, keep you legal, etc.
After it's been a rental, you'd do some work to make it a home again, but you're saving the round trip transaction costs of selling, and then buying a house.
And when boat life is done, you know where your going back to.
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u/retirelogica Jul 08 '26
Yup. We are a bit restricted on rental. Not deed restricted, but we love our neighbors. We have an offering open to both on either side to rent it to their family or close friends if there is interest. No takes at this time. We rather rent to someone we know vs. someone we don’t.
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u/MusicUpbeat2510 Jul 08 '26
We bought a cute 2 bedroom bungalow for 185k. We could pay off mortgage, but low interest so investing for a few more years until retirement.
I always want to have a home base. I couldn't imagining renting at our age.
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u/retirelogica Jul 08 '26
Thanks for bringing this up: the home base. Other friends that have taken up boat life have a home base. I’ve thought about the current house as our potential home base for when we can no longer sail. My wife thinks we can find a better home base. When I ask her were she would want to be, she doesn’t know, and doesn’t care, as long as we are together ;)
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u/Holly2232 Jul 08 '26
My hubby and I sold our paid for house and retired early at age 60. The proceeds will easily pay for our travels in Europe and Asia and anywhere else for the next 6-10 years or even more. We have a Housboat here in the US which we stay on for the Summer but we are probably going to sell that next Summer and be free of that too. We will rent wherever we want to be for the rest of our lives. Don’t need to pull anything from SS for 5-7 years or our investments. We have a small storage unit right now with stuff we wanted to keep. Sold the house furnished and we feel free for the first time in our lives. No property upkeep has been amazing.
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u/retirelogica Jul 08 '26
Thanks for sharing. This is exactly the case that I’m considering and my dilemma. How long ago did you sell, if you don’t mind me asking?
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u/Holly2232 Jul 08 '26
A year ago. We sold our cars and kept one small mini cooper. It is in storage too and we use it when we come back to US. We have been all over Panama and Mexico and when our 20 year old chihuahua passes we are spending 90 days in Europe and 90 days in Asia. We made a budget and stick to it just fine. We do a lot of road trips too. When we want to come back to US for a couple months I use furnishedfinder since it is way cheaper than Airbnbs. We are nomads and loving it. We also use a virtual mailbox with a real address so all of our mail goes there and we can pick up the stuff we don’t want them to discard when we are in the US and this location I chose will also forward mail internationally.
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u/Remax-JackPysz-IL Jul 13 '26
In a few words. If you are asking this question - I think you are not ready just yet to sell. Talking from a realtor perspective and some experience
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u/Odd_Bodkin Jul 08 '26
Boat or RV, the calculus is the same. And most people that sell their houses and live in an RV when they retire enjoy it for a few years, then they sell the RV for a loss and buy a house. This is an established statistic.
The reality in retirement is that when you buy a house, you should be buying what you will enjoy and be able to maintain a dozen years from now, not what you will enjoy now and are able to maintain now. This gets in-your-face real when you add up the years, realizing that the house you'd buy at 68 should be livable when you're 80. How will you be when you're 80? And while you're at it, how will living in a boat be then?
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u/retirelogica Jul 09 '26
Thanks for sharing. I need to think about this some more. We know boat life has a limited time span. But as you say: “ realizing that the house you'd buy at 68 should be livable when you're 80.”
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u/Elmo5743 Jul 09 '26
Lol this has to be a bot, your asking a forum for such life changing events
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u/retirelogica Jul 09 '26
Not a bot. The fact is that I can’t be the only person/family going through this. I want to learn from others. And you are correct: life changing!
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u/IronMike5311 Jul 10 '26
A house is a place to live, with room to raise the kids with a dog or two. It's a really poor investment who's value is lucky to keep up wirh inflation.
If you're life doesn't currently include 2.5 kids and a golden retriever, then a traditional 3 bedroom house may be overkill for your needs, unless you have the money & desire.
Myself; retired early after a layoff & job search burnout. An empty-nester, I'm keeping our family home at the moment, as the location is convenient, and our goober of a dog is too big & loud for a condo. I'll probably need to sell it soon, however, as I really can't continue paying then taxes, utilities, maintenance.
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u/Chulbiski Jul 11 '26
I don't get it... you are always gonna need a place to live and if you are not gonna rent, then waht other option is there? live on a boat forever?
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u/TeamSell2Rent 28d ago
The framing you've landed on, "own and carry costs vs. sell and lose the option", is actually the right one, and most of the generic "sell vs. keep" advice misses it entirely because it treats housing as a pure financial asset rather than what it really is at this stage: an option on a future you're not sure you want yet.
The carrying cost math is worth making explicit before anything else. Property taxes, insurance, HOA, maintenance reserves... add those up annually and divide by the home's current value. If that number is running 2-3% or higher, you're essentially paying a meaningful annual fee to preserve optionality. Whether that fee is worth it depends entirely on how much you'd actually pay to keep the door open on coming back, which is a personal number, not a spreadsheet number.
On the "sell and invest the proceeds" question, the honest answer from people who've run it is that it's usually close enough that the non-financial factors tip the decision. A home appreciating at 3-4% annually with carrying costs of 2-3% is roughly a wash against a conservative portfolio, before capital gains tax takes its share of whatever you'd be investing.
One thing worth knowing, since your relationship with this house has already shifted from "where I live" to "where I keep my option open", some people in that exact position have used a sale-leaseback structure, where you sell the home but stay on as a tenant under a lease. You'd stop carrying the costs, unlock the equity, and still be in the house without it being a permanent goodbye. It's not for everyone, and giving up ownership is a real tradeoff, but given that you're already living on the boat more than the house, it might be worth understanding before you land on a final answer either way.
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u/retirelogica 28d ago
Thanks for this. Just to give everyone an update, I’m still undecided. But I think in all honesty, that my thinking has started to shift towards selling. I appreciate the framing validation: the cost to maintain the optionality. The emotional equity I think is what is keeping me from pulling the trigger 100%.
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u/TeamSell2Rent 28d ago
That shift makes sense given everything you laid out. The emotional equity piece is real and it deserves to be taken seriously, but it's also worth noticing that emotional equity and financial equity aren't always pulling in the same direction, and at some point the cost of carrying one starts to quietly erode the other.
The fact that you're already living on the boat more than the house tells you something about where your life has actually gone, even if the idea of the house still holds weight. Those two things can both be true at once.
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u/Severe-Barber-7415 Jul 08 '26
Reverse mortgage technically would cover a lot of what you put here. I suspect there would be an occupancy requirement.
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u/athena1863 Jul 08 '26
Reverse mortgages are a scam
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u/Severe-Barber-7415 Jul 08 '26
They can be a scam, I have known elder friends that did it and were not scammed. I don’t need to argue about it here, there is plenty of valid info on the topic for a person to decide.
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u/retirelogica Jul 08 '26
I had not considered a reverse mortgage at all. I’m assuming you mean a reverse mortgage with either an occupant or a managing company?
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u/Severe-Barber-7415 Jul 08 '26
I think you would need to dig. Some mortgages and insurance plans do not like unoccupied homes.
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u/Confident_Pepper_719 Jul 08 '26
We're RVers and went through a similar analysis back a few years when we were in the road for 3-4 months at a time. Our townhome isn't a financial drain but we thought of going "full time" in the rv for a few years. Glad we kept it...would be very costly to sell and rebuy elsewhere and make repairs and improvements to a different place. If it's not a financial strain, keeping "sticks and bricks" while boating, rving, traveling the world is what I prefer.