Did you ever think about selling your house and moving every two years?

[Ima saver]

You get to keep the profit on your house, tax free!!

[Lostsoul33]

Everytime I move, it's to a more expensive house so really no profit for me. The last house that we bought, I hated it so much that we moved out after only 5 months. We lived there for 3 months and then it was on the market. I figured it would be a hard sell but surprisingly it wasn't. We've been in this house for almost 3 years now and hubby and I have agreed that we're not going anywhere. I see myself living here for a very long time. I hate moving too so that's definetely a factor in it all.

[Snoopy2645]

I have considered moving every 2 years just to clear out the junk LOL!!!

[PrincessPerky]

I couldn't sell my house if I wanted to....

[Fern]

But every time you move, you likely wil incur a few thousand in expenses for the move plus closing fees, attorneys fees etc when you close with a new mortgage. Not the mention the time spent, headaches, etc. This would/might only work if you live in an area of high appreciation and you had good timing; the market has already stalled, so i think the window of time for doing this has passed, for now.

[jmjj215]

It depends, but I have definitely thought about it. If your house has appreciated substantially, that tax-free gain offsets TONS of attorney's fees, closing fees, etc. If you haven't made too much money on it, it doesn't really make sense to move just for the tax-free gain.

[Ima saver]

Well, we have a friend who is a builder that moved here from Fla. and built a house. After 2 years, he sold it and built another. Two years later he sold that one and built a new house. He has been there for 2 years and is putting it on the market.
My husband is a builder too. We could easily sell our house for double what we have in it. Of course land is so high, we would have to take that into account.
Now we would have to pay some attorney fees but the buyer pays most of that. We have no mortgage and would pay cash for building a new house, so the expense would be little. I think making $200,000 profit on a house is a good idea, but I hate moving. I would stay in the same area.

[PRICEPLUS]

When you have kids it becomes problematic . No, we have never given that idea even a passing thought.

[Ima saver]

We are both over 50, no kids around. I would get new furniture if I moved, so that would not get moved. My problem is all the "junk" and collectibles we have around this house and two double car garages. My husband does all the packing, so that would help. I would sell my house if they would give me at least 60 days to get out.
My husband is building a spec and I could move there, if we could get the timing right. That never seems to happen.

[katwoman]

I hate moving but I'd do it if I could.

YOu get 250K tax free every 2 years. In under 10 years you can amass 1M tax free!

I've heard of people doing just this in Chicago and the suburbs. They have planks and cinderblocks for furniture. They're in it for the $$$$. Can't say I blame them.

[Ima saver]

WE have been discussing it. When I moved in here 10 years ago, I bought all new furniture and furnished my house for $7000. That included everything even new matresses. I would not worry about furniture, I just hate the thought of packing everything up. That is why I want to get rid of a bunch of stuff.
I have a lot of antique stuff like my mothers dishes and silver, that I have never used. I think I would call and antique dealer and sell it all to someone who might enjoy it.

[kashi]

I have moved three times in the past five years, so I could do it, but...I'm getting tired of moving. If I bought a house, I'd want to stay in it for a while.

[Ima saver]

Well I checked on the attorney fees from the last spec house we sold. We spent less than $500, the buyer paid most of the fees. So for less than $500 and no mortgage fees, we could move pretty cheaply. I know a new house would cost more cause materials cost more, but I could pay my husband to build it.

[Happily]

No way. In S. California, that would be a property tax nightmare. Not to mention mortgage fees.

[Ima saver]

I will have no mortgage. why would there be a property tax nightmare, they prorate it at the closing.??

[34saving]

Definitely have thought about it, but I'm not sure the financial gains would be worth the nuisance! I do think the "model" works better if you buy fixer-uppers or build.

[cheapbastard]

I don't quite understand how you would come out ahead selling your house every two years and keeping the profit. You have to get a new house to live in after you have sold yours. Sure your house has gone up in value, but so have all of the other houses around you. I don't see how you come out ahead.
If you buy an investment property and have renters pay the mortgage, then you would be making real money. I still would not sell it, I would use the equity that builds in the one property to buy another property in two or three years. Then in a few more years buy another and then another and another. As a wealthy real estate investor told me once, "Never Sell".

[katwoman]

Think of it this way: you buy each house brand spanking new. No repairs or other expenses except the usual --- gas, elec, phone. Even the property taxes are not assessed fully 'cause it's so new. Then you sell after 2 years and roll that money (250k of it is tax free) into the next new home. Same process.

At the end of 10 years, you're a millionaire.

Come to think of it --- my bro knows a woman that has been doing a variation of this -- she buys condos in downtown Chicago that have not been upgraded in ages. Pays 600k. Then her crew comes in and she redoes the thing. Marble, granite, glass doors, inlaid woods. Luxury! My bro even took a tour of her condo. She flips them (after living in each for 2 years) for 1M.

[cercis]

I hate to move and apparently I'm a horrible sales person, because I don't make much when I sell a house. And the stress likes to kill me.

[Ima saver]

I had rentals and lost money on all of them. I would never do that again. I would not sell and buy a house. I could double my money on this house and get to keep the profits, I think up to $500,000 as a couple.
I would pay my husband to build us another house. He would be earning an income plus he can do all the plumbing and electrical much cheaper. Now I realize I would not make as much on the 2nd house. This house has had 10 years to appreciate and it really has. You have to be in a hot area, and we are.
I agree cercis, It does not pay to do this if you don't make much when selling a house. I sold my last house on the river, for $110,000 10 years ago. Now a house like that on the river is going for close to $400,000. I had over $100,000 in it.