According to a news article by WOSU Radio (and the experience of most of our community), property values in Central Ohio are at a record high. Does that mean it's time to sell?

As with all great real estate questions, the answer is, "It depends".

If you have rentals you'd rather not own, selling soon might get you the highest price on a property you don't want anyway. If you're good at finding distressed and low priced deals, it might be an opportunity to do a 1031 exchange into a rental you'll like better in the long run.

But if you bought your rental for long-term income and wealth building, believing that the market might be topping out (we don't believe that, but we don't have a crystal ball, either) is no reason to sell. The increased value is adding to your wealth in a non-taxable manner, and even if prices drop drastically, your income probably won't.

Getting rid of properties that have turned out to be too far, too management-intensive, or too unprofitable is always a good thing, and although we might not be at the top of the market just yet, now is a good time to divest yourself of those losers. But keep the keepers: jumping in and out of the market is NOT a good way to build wealth in real estate!