I want to share my experience with the 'keep or sell your home' decision after a job move, because I don't see it discussed enough.

We had a home with a 2.75% mortgage and considered keeping it as a rental when we relocated. The analysis:

Expected rent: $2,400/month. Mortgage PITI: $1,650/month. Gross margin: $750/month. Subtract property management (8%): $192/month. Expected maintenance (1% annually / 12): $200/month. Real net: approximately $358/month.

On paper, profitable. But: we'd have $120,000 of equity tied up generating $358/month, which is a 3.6% cash-on-cash yield. That equity invested in VTI historically earns 7-9% annually — significantly better without the management complexity.

We sold. The decision would look different with a higher rent-to-value ratio, lower maintenance needs, or lower opportunity cost on the equity.