Three Scenarios.
One Clear Answer.
Compare keeping your rental, selling traditionally, and doing a 1031 exchange — with sale proceeds breakdowns, surplus/shortage alerts, and cumulative return projections.
Three Paths Forward
Every rental property owner faces the same three options. The app models all of them.
Keep
Hold the property
Traditional Sale
Sell and cash out
1031 Exchange
Swap and defer taxes
Sample data — $420K property held 7 years, $280K loan balance. Your results will vary.
Sale Proceeds Breakdown
See exactly what happens to your equity in a traditional sale vs. 1031 exchange.
| Line Item | Traditional | 1031 Exchange |
|---|---|---|
| Sale Price | $420,000 | $420,000 |
| Loan Payoff | -$280,000 | -$280,000 |
| Commission (6%) | -$25,200 | -$25,200 |
| Closing Costs (1%) | -$4,200 | -$4,200 |
| Depreciation Recapture Tax | -$15,000 | Deferred |
| Capital Gains Tax | -$8,000 | Deferred |
| Net Proceeds | $87,600 | $110,600 |
Surplus & Shortage Alerts
After selling, do your proceeds cover the replacement property's down payment?
Your 1031 exchange proceeds of $110,600 exceed the $100,000 down payment needed for the replacement property. The $10,600 surplus can be used for closing costs or improvements.
Your traditional sale proceeds of $87,600 fall short of the $100,000 down payment needed. You'll need to bring $12,400 in additional capital to acquire the replacement property.
Cumulative Returns Over Time
See which scenario wins over a 5-year horizon — and when the crossover happens.
Cumulative Total Return by Scenario
$420,000 property, held 7 years, 3% appreciation assumed going forward
Return Breakdown by Scenario
See which return streams dominate in each scenario.
Year 1 Return Breakdown
All four return streams compared across Keep, Traditional Sale, and 1031 Exchange
The Verdict
In this sample analysis, keeping the property wins with the highest cumulative return over 5 years — but 1031 overtakes it in year 4 if appreciation on the replacement property is higher.
Your results depend on your specific property data, market conditions, and financial assumptions.
Explore More Features
See everything Should I Sell My Rental Property? has to offer.
5-Step Sell-or-Hold Wizard
A guided wizard that walks you through property selection, replacement planning, assumptions, equity reality check, and full scenario comparison.
Learn more →Return on Equity Reality Check
Most investors use the wrong denominator. See why simple equity overstates your position — and what your real return on equity looks like.
Learn more →Return Quadrant™ Analysis
See all four return streams for each scenario — appreciation, cash flow, loan paydown, and tax benefits — classified by Cash Now vs. Cash Later.
Learn more →Cash Now vs. Cash Later
See how much of your return is spendable today vs. building wealth over time — and how that balance shifts when you sell or exchange.
Learn more →More Certain vs. More Speculative
Know how much of your return is locked in by contracts and tax code — and how much depends on the market cooperating.
Learn more →Future Tax Liability Tracker
Track how tax liability shifts across scenarios — latent when you keep, eliminated when you sell, and deferred in a 1031 exchange.
Learn more →Included with All Apps
These features come with every app — no extra cost.
Property Database
70+ fields, auto-save editing, live calculation sidebar, smart search and filtering.
Learn more →Comprehensive Property Data
Every number an investor needs across 11 organized sections with smart field types.
Learn more →Smart Editing & Live Sidebar
Auto-save with 800ms debounce, per-section status badges, and real-time calculations.
Learn more →Property Classification
Tag properties by investment strategy and property type. Filter and sort your entire portfolio.
Learn more →Real-Time Calculations
27 key metrics across 5 categories computed instantly as you type, with clickable walkthroughs.
Learn more →Portfolio Dashboard
Portfolio highlights, property cards, strategy and type breakdowns, overview charts, and cross-app features.
Learn more →AI Property Import
Copy a prompt, paste your MLS listing into any AI tool, and import 20+ property fields in seconds.
Learn more →Compare Your Scenarios
Run a full 3-scenario comparison for any property in your portfolio.
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