在过去的几年里，悦博体育看到越来越多的房主选择成为房东，而不是把他们的房子放在市场上。 In deciding whether or not becoming a Landlord is right for you, t在这里 are a number of factors to consider, but primarily they fall into the following three categories: Financial Analysis, 风险 and Goals.

The 财务分析 is probably the easiest of the three to assess. You will need to assess if you can 负担得起租金 your house. 如果你考虑到可能的租金、空置率、维护、广告和管理成本，你就可以得出一个预算。 It is important both to be reasonably correct in your assumptions and to have enough reserves to cover cash-flow needs if you’re wrong. 空置率将由你推销房产时的价格决定。 Price too high and you’re either vacant or accepting applicants that, for 一些 reason, couldn’t compete for more competitively priced homes. Price too low and you don’t achieve the revenue you should. 如果您想尝试预期范围的高端，请理解成本可能是一个空月。 要弥补一个月的空缺是很困难的。

考虑一下出租房产可能产生的其他成本。 如果你有一个景观或大的院子，你可能需要雇佣一个院子的工作人员来管理场地。 Other costs could increase when you rent your home, such as homeowner’s insurance and taxes on your property. 此外，根据租户的周转情况，您可能需要更定期地油漆和处理维护问题。 租房是你需要根据你面前所有的财务信息做出的决定。 You can find more information about the hidden costs of renting 在这里.

If your analysis points to 一些 negative cash-flow, that doesn’t necessarily mean that renting is the wrong option. 这个答案需要与其他选择的利弊进行权衡（例如，以实际卖出的价格出售），以及一些关于未来升值、通胀等方面的经济猜测，以得出现金流失将持续多久的预期。

风险 有点难以评估。 Broadly though, it’s crucial to understand that if you decide to lease out a home, you are going into business, and every business venture has risks. 你知道的越多，你就越能减轻这些风险。 降低风险最明显的方法之一是聘请管理公司。 悦博体育通过雇佣专业人士，你可以减少自己管理物业（和租户）的风险和时间。 然而，这增加了成本。 So, as you reduce your risk of litigation, you increase your risk of negative cash-flow, and vice versa… it’s a balancing act, and the risk cannot be eliminated; 只是管理和最小化。

In considering 的目标, what do you hope to achieve by renting your property? 你打算在一段时间后搬回你的家吗？ 你的房地产投资会是你长期财务规划的一部分吗？ 你是要搬家还是只是想等着卖？ 这些都是考虑租房的好理由。

请记住，租给家人的房子可能会很情绪化。 许多房主喜欢他们家独特的感觉。 这是他们的孩子长大的地方，他们更关心的是保持这种感觉，而不是最大化收入。 That’s OK, but it needs to be acknowledged and considered when establishing a correct price and preparing a cash flow analysis. Some owners are so attached to their homes that it may be better for them to “tear off the band-aid quickly” and sell. 另一种选择是，多年来慢慢地看着房产成为一项投资，而不是他们的家，这可能会证明，任何经济利益都无法抵消这种痛苦。

In the process of considering your financial situation, the risks associated with becoming a landlord, and the goals you hope to achieve with the rental of your property, – ask yourself 这些 questions. Before reaching a conclusion, it’s also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the landlord-tenant-law specific to your state (and in 一些 cases, separate relevant ordinances in the city and/or county that your property lies within) and to do 一些 market research (i.e. tour other available similar rentals to see if your financial assumptions are in line with the reality of the competition across the street). 如果你在这个过程中不知所措，或者将住在该地区之外，请向物业管理专业人士寻求咨询。 悦博体育通过艰难的方式获得经验可能代价高昂。

J. Michael Wilson is the dedicated broker at 西雅图温德米尔物业管理公司, and has 17 years of experience managing properties in the Seattle region.