Your case · a house you own

I own a house: rent it out or sell it and invest in ETFs?

A flat you moved out of, a second home, a house you don’t use. Keep it, rent it out, or sell it and invest the money in ETFs: what each could be worth, in today’s money.

Your house

What the house is worth today€250,000

Rent you could get€900

Per month, before taxes. Check listings for similar homes in the area.

Show the result in15 years

Sale, costs and assumptions (tap to change)

What you paid for it€180,000

Tax on the gain when you sell20%

It depends on your country, on how long you’ve owned it and on whether it was your home. Check the rules below.

Selling costs5%

Agency, notary and other costs when you sell, as % of the price.

Owner costs per year1%

Maintenance, insurance, property tax, building costs, as % of the value. You pay them whether it’s empty or rented.

Tax on the rent20%

Depends on the country and the type of contract.

Months empty per year1

House value growth per year2%

Net rental yield 2.2% · low

In 15 years, what you’d have, in today’s money:

Keep it empty house value − costs paid€217,583

Rent it out house value + net rent invested in ETFs€366,939

Sell it and invest in ETFs after selling costs and tax on the gain€463,300

Selling and investing in ETFs comes out ahead, by about €96,362 over the second option.

Monthly income from today

€452a month from rent, after tax, costs and empty months

€565a month taking 3% a year from the ETFs (the 3% rule)

If you sell today you’d have about €226,000 to invest in ETFs, after €11,500 of tax on the gain.

In today’s money (2% inflation). Rent grows with inflation; investing in ETFs at 7% a year on average, not guaranteed. Taxes on selling the ETFs later, or the house at the end, are not included.

When renting it out wins, and when selling and investing in ETFs wins

Renting it out usually wins if…

The net rent is 4% or more of the value a year.
You’re fine being a landlord, or you pay an agency to do it.
You might want to live in it again one day.

Selling and investing in ETFs usually wins if…

The net rent is under 3% of the value.
Big repairs or a new roof are coming.
Most of your wealth is already in houses.

It’s not only about money

Being a landlord is a job: tenants, repairs, late payments, empty months.
One basket: a house is one asset in one city; ETFs spread your money over thousands of companies.
Selling takes time: months to sell a house; ETFs can be sold in a day.
Memories matter: if the house means a lot to you, that’s a fair reason to keep it.

Taxes to check in your country

The tax on rent, the tax when you sell and the yearly property taxes depend on your country, and sometimes on your region. Ask a tax adviser before deciding.

Taxes change, and they vary. Tax rules change often, sometimes every year, and depend on your country, your region and your own situation. What you read here is a general summary, checked in October 2026: always check the current rules with an accountant or tax adviser before deciding.

Questions

What if I still have a mortgage on it?

If you sell, the mortgage is paid off with the sale and you invest the rest in ETFs. If you rent it out, the rent has to cover the payments too. As a rule of thumb: the lower your mortgage rate compared with 7%, the less it changes the comparison.

Is it better to sell now or wait for prices to rise?

Nobody knows where house prices will go. If the net rent is low, waiting costs you every year in lost growth from investing in ETFs. Use the “house value growth” slider to see how much prices would need to rise to make up for it.

Should I invest the money from the sale all at once?

Historically, all at once came out ahead about 2 times out of 3. Spreading it over 6–12 months costs a little on average but is easier to live with. Keep an emergency fund first, and only invest in ETFs money you won’t need for at least 10 years.

Next: your first plan for investing in ETFs

Answer 3 questions and get a one-page plan: how much to keep in the bank, how much to invest in ETFs each month and how to set it up.

Make my plan

Not financial or tax advice. Educational estimates with constant average returns. Investing in ETFs can lose money; house prices and rents can fall too. Check the rules or talk to a qualified adviser.