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⚖️ Sell vs Hold Calculator

Compare selling your rental property now vs holding 5 more years. Calculate tax if sold today, projected 5-year appreciation, cash flow, and net advantage.

📍 Property Address (optional)
InputsYour Numbers
Current Property
Current Market Value?
$
Adjusted Cost Basis?
$
Accumulated Depreciation?
$
Selling Costs?
$
Holding Analysis
Monthly Rent?
$
Monthly Mortgage Payment?
$
Property Tax / mo?
$
Insurance / mo?
$
Maintenance % of Rent?
%
Annual Appreciation %?
%
Annual Rent Growth %?
%
Tax Situation
Taxable Income (without sale)?
$
Federal Tax Bracket %?
%
As-Is AnalysisCurrent
Enter values to see results
Net Sale Proceeds
--
after tax if sold today
Tax if Sold Today
--
recapture + LTCG
Monthly Cash Flow
--
current
Current Cap Rate
--
on current value
Sell Now: Tax Calculation
Current Market Value--
Selling Costs--
Adjusted Cost Basis--
Total Gain--
Recapture Tax (25%)--
LTCG Tax--
Total Tax--
Net Proceeds After Tax--
Pro FormaAfter Plan
Enter pro forma values
Value in 5 Years
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hold scenario
5-Year CF Total
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cumulative
5-Year Total Return
--
vs selling now
Hold Wins by
--
hold vs sell today
Hold 5 Years: Projection
5-Year Property Value--
5-Year Cumulative Cash Flow--
Tax if Sold in 5 Years--
Net Proceeds (sell in 5 yrs)--
Advantage vs Selling Today--

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1
Enter Current Property Value
Your current market value and adjusted cost basis determine today's gain, depreciation recapture, and capital gains tax.
2
Enter Depreciation Taken
Accumulated depreciation reduces your basis and triggers recapture tax (25%) on sale. Get this number from your tax returns.
3
Enter Current Cash Flow Numbers
Monthly rent, mortgage, taxes, insurance, and maintenance project your future cash flow if you hold. Rent growth compounds this over time.
4
Set Appreciation Assumptions
Historical US appreciation averages 3-4%/yr nationally. Strong markets may be 5-7%+. Conservative underwriting uses 3% or less.
5
Read the 5-Year Comparison
The pro forma projects your position in 5 years: property value, cumulative cash flow, and tax if sold then. Compare to selling today.
6
Consider Opportunity Cost
The analysis compares hold vs sell, but not what you do with the sale proceeds. If you can redeploy capital into a higher-returning asset, selling may be better despite the tax hit.

The sell vs hold decision is one of the most important in real estate. Selling triggers an immediate tax bill (recapture + capital gains). Holding defers that tax indefinitely while the asset potentially appreciates and generates cash flow.


Holding generally wins when: appreciation is strong, cash flow is positive, and you have no better use for the capital. Selling generally wins when: you can redeploy proceeds into a higher-returning opportunity, the property is absorbing excessive management time, or market conditions favor selling.


The 1031 exchange offers a third path: sell, defer the tax, and reinvest into a larger property. This is often the optimal choice when you want to move capital but not pay tax.

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