When Spencer Strahl and his wife, Maureen, decided last summer to relocate to Omaha, Neb., they figured he'd remain in North Carolina's Triangle Research area to sell their home while she would take their three children and start her new marketing job.
But three months after listing their home for sale, the Strahls, both 42, realized their plan wasn't going to work. The house had few showings and no offers. So they did what an increasing number of frustrated sellers are doing: They kept the house on the market, but put it up for rent.
