Article - More Home Owners Try ‘Reluctant Landlord’ Role
Nov 2011
More sellers who are tired of their home lingering on the market or don’t want to have to
take a loss on their home are opting to become landlords instead.
For example, according to an article at NPR, one couple describes owning a two-bedroom bungalow
in Oakland, Calif., which they purchased for $500,000, that was appraised recently at $260,000. When a job
relocation was sending them across the country, they decided to rent instead of sell.
But becoming a landlord isn’t an easy role to step into, as some of these “accidental landlords” describe
difficult tenants and constant problem or maintenance issues that require fixing.
The number of unintentional landlords is growing. About 2.3 million single-family homes became rentals
during 2005 to 2009, a significant increase compared to about 700,000 single-family homes that became rentals
during 2001 to 2005, according to Eric Belsky with Harvard’s Center for Housing Studies.
“The good news for the owners or the reluctant landlords has been that the rental market has been so good,
they've been able to cover pretty much all their expenses and just been able to basically go on with their
lives," Ron Abrams with the Chicago Association of REALTORS® told NPR.
Source: “Would-be Sellers Become Reluctant Landlords,” NPR (Nov. 13, 2011)
Dy Associates is an Oakland Real Estate company specializing in commercial, home and
investment property in the Oakland and East Bay Area. We provide real estate services including buyer agent,
seller agent, short sales, commercial and investment aquisitions, loan facilitation, hard money lending, proerty
management. Articles are provided as information only. We do not provide legal or general investment
advice.
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