You have a job offer in another city, or maybe you are tired of paying so much for rent or a mortgage here. You look at Zillow and see what your house could sell for. Then you think about what to do with it if you move.

Some people sell fast and leave. They want the cash and a clean break. Others think about renting the house out. They figure a tenant pays the mortgage while the house goes up in value. Both choices have their own problems.

If you sell, you have to get the house ready. That means fixing things, painting, maybe staging. You need to find a real estate agent who knows your neighborhood. The market in leaving Sacramento with a house to sell has been hot, but it changes. You might get a good price or you might have to wait. Moving costs money too, and you might need a place to stay while the sale goes through.

If you rent the house out, you become a landlord. That sounds easy but it is work. Tenants call at odd hours. Things break. You have to fix them fast or the law says you are in trouble. You also have to pay tax on the rent you collect. A good property manager costs money but saves headaches. You have to ask yourself if you want to deal with a house in Sacramento while you live somewhere else.

There is a tax issue with selling too. If you have lived in the house for two of the last five years, you can keep some of the profit without paying tax to the IRS. But that rule does not cover everybody. You should talk to a CPA about your own situation.

Some people put their house on the market and rent it out at the same time. They see what happens. If a good offer comes, they sell. If not, they rent. That kind of plan needs a good agent who can explain the numbers.

You also have to think about your mortgage. Some loans say you cannot rent the house out. Others let you with a fee. Read the fine print or call your lender. If you sell, you pay off the loan and the rest is yours. If the house is worth less than the loan, you need a short sale or a deed in lieu of foreclosure. Those are hard and hurt your credit. Do not do anything without talking to a lawyer or a HUD-approved housing counselor.

If you are moving for a new job far away, you might not have time to deal with a house. That is when selling makes sense. If you are just moving to a cheaper town nearby, you can keep the house and come back to check on it.

The best thing is to write down your numbers. What is the house worth? What is your payment? How much would you pay an agent? How much would you pay a property manager? Then make a decision. Every house and every family is different. Talk to a real estate agent, a CPA, and maybe a lawyer before you sign anything.

There is a fuller write-up at leaving Sacramento with a house to sell.