Name the job
What must the house or its proceeds do for you now?
A HOUSE DECISION WITHOUT A SALES PITCH
Keep it—or sell it—for reasons you can defend.
Separate pressure from evidence. Weight what matters, price both paths over the same horizon, and turn uncertainty into a short next-step plan.
No address requiredNothing is submittedOfficial sources reviewed Aug. 2026
WEIGHT BEFORE RATINGFACTS BEFORE FORECASTSONE HOUSE, FOUR PATHS
Four disciplines
Make a decision that survives the next question.
Count all costs
Cash, time, risk, repairs, transition, and alternatives.
Keep unknowns
Do not convert a missing fact into a favorable assumption.
Set a checkpoint
A date and cash ceiling prevent permanent indecision.
Tool 01 / weighted evidence score
Weight what matters before rating the paths.
Importance and direction are separate. A lightly weighted preference should not overpower affordability, safety, or a real deadline.
Decision factorImportanceEvidence leans
AffordabilityFull cost and cash volatility
Property conditionRepairs, systems, habitability
Life fitSpace, location, access, safety
Time and capacityManagement, upkeep, travel, stress
Future usefulnessLikely fit over the decision horizon
Income potentialReliable net rent or contribution
Family / legacyShared goals, obligations, sentiment
FlexibilityAbility to change course later
Tool 02 / same-horizon forecast
Compare both paths over the same months.
This is a liquidity view—not a return calculation. It does not predict appreciation, rent growth, investment returns, taxes, or future sale value.
- Recurring net burden
- $26,400
- Repairs + one-time
- $18,000
- Starting verified net proceeds
- $180,000
- Modeled liquidity after cash out
- $148,800
Do not compare “keep cost” with gross sale price. Use a written net sheet, actual debt and liens, realistic repair scopes, next-housing costs, and taxes reviewed with a qualified adviser.
Tool 03 / decision-file audit
Replace opinions with ten source documents.
An unknown is not evidence for either path. Mark a line complete only when the current document, quote, account, or decision authority is in hand.
0/10facts assembled
Tool 04 / next-step plan
Make the next decision smaller than the final one.
Choose the current leading path. The output is an evidence plan, not a commitment.
14-DAY EVIDENCE SPRINT0/4 complete
At day 14, compare new facts with the scorecard. Extend the window only with a named reason, a new deadline, and a maximum additional cash exposure.
Independent verification shelf
Use the source that does not need your transaction.
HUD housing counselor search
Find HUD-participating housing counselors for independent advice on affordability, mortgage, rental, repair, and related housing issues.
Open official resourceCFPB mortgage help
Official mortgage difficulty resources, scam warnings, and HUD-approved counseling pathways.
Open official resourceIRS Publication 523
Current federal guidance and worksheets for basis, gain, exclusion eligibility, and reporting when selling a home.
Open official resourceBexar County tax account
Review actual tax bills, payment status, and County tax resources.
Open official resourceBexar Appraisal District
Verify appraised, assessed, and taxable values and review exemption resources.
Open official resourceTREC seller disclosure form
Review the current Texas Real Estate Commission notice form while confirming whether and how disclosure duties apply.
Open official resourceKeep-or-sell questions
Use distinctions, not slogans.
01Can a scorecard tell me to sell?
No. It reveals which facts and values currently lean toward a path. Safety, legal authority, title, tax, lender, family, or deadline facts may override a numerical preference.
02What is the right decision horizon?
Use the period during which the current choice is expected to remain in place and major costs are reasonably visible. Test a shorter and longer horizon when repairs, rent, benefits, or life plans could change.
03Should appreciation be included?
Only as an explicit scenario, never as a promise. Test zero, upside, and downside assumptions and remember that value change is not spendable until a transaction occurs and costs are paid.
04How do I value principal paydown?
Show principal separately from cash outflow. It may reduce debt, but recovery still depends on future value, condition, liens, balance, timing, and transaction costs.
05Is renting always the compromise?
No. Renting creates a business with legal, insurance, condition, tenant, vacancy, repair, management, and tax obligations. Compare reliable net rent—not gross rent—with the burden and risk.
06What is a verified net sale figure?
A scenario based on a supportable price or written offer less mortgage payoff, liens, taxes, preparation, concessions, closing and selling costs, moving, and other path-specific obligations.
07When should I get independent help?
Use a qualified lawyer for authority or legal rights, a tax professional for tax consequences, a licensed professional for valuation or condition, and a HUD-approved housing counselor for housing and mortgage guidance.
08What if the decision is close?
Protect reversibility. Gather the missing high-weight fact, cap additional cash exposure, pick a short review date, and avoid irreversible work or commitments whose benefit depends on only one uncertain assumption.
If a sale remains one serious path
Compare an as-is option Add a direct as-is option to the comparison—not to the conclusion.
Bexar County Home Buyers can provide one written path to compare on net proceeds, repairs, timing, certainty, and obligations.