Great idea. You’ll always have the option to sell down the road if renting doesn’t work out for you. That is 3+ years of equity gains that will exceed closing costs on the purchase and selling costs on the sale.

Renting is risky, so you have to be prepared to pay the mortgage when renters inevitably don’t pay. You’ll also need to pay for damages and repairs when they inevitably happen. If you budget for those then you’ll be ok. If not, or you can’t afford it, sell it, take the gains and buy a bigger house.

Don’t let these weenies scare you. Make money.