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For many people living in high-cost cities, selling their homes, moving to a lower-cost region, and investing the proceeds is an inviting route to financial freedom.

With today’s high real estate prices, a single property sale could eradicate debt, yield passive income, and even allow some people to retire early. But is it always the right move?

A recent Reddit post from a 39-year-old single woman who inherited a $1.9 million San Francisco Bay Area home, but can’t afford the much-needed repairs, which would cost around $90,000, has sparked a debate in the comment section.

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The poster is a paramedic earning $70,000 annually and is $65,000 in debt. The inherited house, while in a good area and worth $1.9 million, has a series of issues that can make it uninhabitable shortly, such as leaky roofs and moldy walls. The paramedic is wondering whether to keep the house despite its costly upkeep, just for the location and potential appreciation, or sell it, pay off her debt, and invest the rest.

The Reddit community has taken the comment section by storm, offering the poster plenty of insights, suggestions, and advice. Let’s dive into the comments to see what they say.

Should She Sell the $1.9 Million House and Invest the Proceeds? Reddit Debates

Sell and Invest the Rest of the Money in ETFs or Index Funds

Most of the commenters argued that selling the property and investing the proceeds in a diversified portfolio, like the S&P 500, would offer her financial security far beyond what the house could offer.

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“In my opinion, sell and invest. Like others have said, with your debt of $65,000, and income of $70,000, you won't be able to afford to repair it. If you sell and invest the $1.9 million, at a 4% safe withdrawal rate you could withdraw $70,000 from that every year and never run out of money,” a commenter advised.

A Redditor pointed out that the poster could downsize to a cheaper home and still have a significant nest egg in investments.

“I can't predict the future or know your emotions around this house–I can only share what I would do–sell, no question about it. You could buy a $1 million house with lower upkeep and immediately put the rest (more than 12x) of your salary into investments,” he said.

“Sell that house, buy a house for like $500,000 somewhere else in cash, throw the rest in an S&P 500, and semi-retire easily,” another user suggested.

Recommending a high-yield savings account, this commenter also mentioned selling the property and buying a cheaper one in a low-cost-of-living city.

“Sell the house, buy an $800,000 house in a low-cost-of-living place, pay your debt, and invest $1 million. A high-yield savings account that gives 5% and you have $50,000 there, so you may even be able to [financial independence, retire early].”

“Sell, invest a million in [Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSE: VOO)]/[Schwab U.S. Large-Cap Growth ETF (NYSE: SCHG)], then use the rest of the cash to travel and do what you want while never working again,” a Redditor wrote.

A landlord came forward to advise the young woman to sell since the hassle wasn’t worth it, especially since investing that money in an index fund provides a similar income without the headaches of renting.

“From someone who has bought a few homes, lived in them, and rented them out, 5 years later I’m starting to sell them because the headache isn’t worth it. I’m making about what I would make putting it into a low-cost index fund so just adding a headache for the same return isn’t worth it, in my opinion. You’ll be happier and stress-free with $1 million in your bank account and a house in better condition.”

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Don’t Sell, Leverage the House's Value Instead

While in a smaller number, some commenters argued she should keep the house due to its unique tax advantages and Bay Area appreciation.

“Don't ever sell this home–get a [home equity line of credit] and get the home in nice condition. Add an [accessory dwelling unit], and rent out the unit while you use the current laws for occupancy conversion to your advantage. In 5 years, you can have cash flow and 2x duplexes that will be worth north of $6 million and you wouldn't have spent a single penny of your money,” a Redditor said.

Advising the poster not to sell the property, this commenter suggested she borrow against it to repair it instead: “No point in selling it if you will eat the capital through lifestyle. Fix it up and rent it out. Borrow against the asset to repair/carry out maintenance then work out how long it will take to break even, pay it off, and what the income will be.”

“Don’t sell, just live there if it’s paid off. You’ll pay way more for a shitty studio apartment in the Bay Area; Bay Area will also give you the best income of anywhere you’d live. Just do the fixes over time or do it yourself,” this user recommended.

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This article Single Woman Inherits $1.9M House But Can't Afford Repairs – 'Should I Sell It, Pay Off My Debt And Invest The Rest?' Reddit Erupts originally appeared on Benzinga.com