‘My recent refinancing increased my mortgage rate from 5.14% to 7.9%, essentially eating up all my cash flow’ Dear Big Move,

I’m struggling with the idea of selling a rental property that has both a high monthly maintenance fee and a high mortgage rate. The costs to keep this house are currently higher than the monthly income it generates.

I recently refinanced in order to pull out $100,000, so now I owe $420,000 on the property, which is worth approximately $750,000.

My recent refinancing increased my mortgage rate from 5.14% to 7.9%, essentially eating up all my cash flow.

I’m on the fence. Should I sell, or should I refinance for a better rate to free up cash flow?

Losing Money Fast

‘The Big Move’ is a MarketWatch column looking at the ins and outs of real estate, from navigating the search for a new home to applying for a mortgage.

Do you have a question about buying or selling a home? Do you want to know where your next move should be? Email Aarthi Swaminathan at Losing,

The fact that you’re bleeding money from this rental is not good. You need to either bring down your interest rate or raise rents so you can turn a profit in order to make it a worthwhile investment. But keep in mind that many people are sitting on the sidelines waiting for interest rates to fall, so you might not get your desired price if you decide to sell.