Hold or Sell Now Calculator
Compare selling a property now against holding it longer, weighing rent and growth against what the released capital could earn elsewhere.
💼 Are you a real estate agent or broker? Send this calculator to your buyers on your own branded listing page — every enquiry comes straight to your WhatsApp. Create free agent page →Deciding whether to sell is usually framed as whether the property will keep growing. The better question is whether it will grow and yield more than the released capital would earn somewhere else, because selling is not a choice between owning and nothing.
Selling costs sit on one side of that comparison and compound the case for holding, since they are incurred whenever you sell — now or later.
The comparison
Holding means the property grows for the period, is sold at the end with the same selling costs, and collects rent meanwhile. Selling now means paying the costs today and compounding the net proceeds at whatever return is available elsewhere. Both are measured at the same future date.
Worked example
A 400,000 property growing 4% a year with 16,000 of net rent, held five more years, reaches 486,661 and nets 472,061 after 3% selling costs, plus 80,000 of rent — 552,061. Selling now nets 388,000, which at 6% elsewhere becomes 519,232 after five years. Holding is ahead by about 32,830.
The selling costs cut one way
They are paid whenever you sell, so they do not distinguish between the options — but paying them now removes capital that would have been compounding for five years. That opportunity cost is a genuine argument for holding that pure growth comparisons miss.
Turn a calculation into an enquiry
Buyers who run these numbers are ready to talk. Give every listing its own page with your photo, phone and WhatsApp on it — leads land straight on your phone.
Create your free property pageFrequently asked questions
What alternative return should I assume?
What you would realistically achieve with the money after tax and charges, not a headline market figure. If the proceeds would sit in cash while you decide, use the cash rate, which changes the answer considerably.
Should tax be in this comparison?
It should, and it is deliberately excluded here because treatment varies so widely. Capital gains on sale and tax on the alternative return can both be substantial, so run the numbers past a local adviser before acting.
What if I am unsure about growth?
Run it at zero growth. If holding still wins on rent alone, the decision is robust; if it depends entirely on the growth assumption, you are betting on the market rather than making an investment decision.