Leasing Out a House

Has anyone ever done this?

I'm considering a move to a different city, but if I could lease my house out rather than sell it - thus preserving the tax/equity benefits, while having someone else cover the mortgage & tax/insurance - I'd like to do that.

Would having a trusted plumber + handyman (I have both) and a home warranty be enough?

And yes- I know about the tenant horror stories. My hope is to go through an agency & lease it out to some energy company expats who work for one of the energy corridor companies near my home.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

Ha! Yeah - maybe the tenants will be too scared of their lawyer-landlord suing the pants off of them to trash the house too bad.

My hope though, is that I'll find a young couple or some good professionals who care about the home they live in - even if it's a lease.

I'm just really worried about the upkeep part of this whole thing.

Will they water the lawn? Should I install a sprinkler system? Should I install an alarm system for them?

 

Codell, this would be for a home. I'm meeting with one prop. management rep. tomorrow already.

If you could e-mail me their info at gthou2@yahoo.com, I'd appreciate it.