Pams Real Estate Ponderings

October 22, 2026 ·  3 min read Selling your house is a big step, and you want it to go smoothly. And with houses taking a little longer to sell these days, renting it out might start to sound like a nice backup plan. But the reality is, while renting can work well for some people, it’s also a big commitment. So before you  decide , it helps to see the whole picture first. Why Some Sellers Are Deciding To Rent Instead Lately,  some  sellers are choosing to hang on to their houses and rent them out instead. According to  Parcl , around  9%  of homes for rent right now were previously up for sale.  Here’s why.  Some homeowners put their houses on the market expecting a faster process than they got or a certain  price  buyers didn’t respond to. And when things didn't go exactly as planned, they decided to rent instead.   As Kara Ng, Senior Economist at  Zillow , explains: “ Bargaining power is tilting toward buyers and homes a...