I'm selling my townhouse and moving in < month to a bigger house built for us (but further out). We are glad we're doing it before kids, because they require a lot of stuff and we are DIY people (paint, decorating, etc.) We wanted to get out (of our current house) while the market was still so pumped up. I think we're making the right choice - we're outside DC BTW.
Couple points:
- Being a landlord is a pain (did it, diff house) If you're renting property you don't care about it's one thing - but to have people nickle and dime your on rent and trash your FORMER HOME, it's not alway worth it. BUy a slum and rent it out. BTW, rule is 100x rent. If you want to rent for $1000/month, don't spend more that $100,000. I considered that factor when selling - nobody would pay in rent what that house was worth as a sale. Rent market is also soft right now.
- A realtor can help negotiate with nutty, PITA buyers. Then again in a hot market, you may not need them. Ask yourself what you wnat to deal with as a Small Businee Owner.
Good luck!