Selling a house with tenants

When a rental sells, an existing lease generally transfers to the new owner along with the property and the security deposit. The tenant does not have to leave because the house changed hands.

That is why some buyers prefer an occupied house. They get income from day one and skip the turnover cost.

The written lease if there is one, the rent amount, how long the tenant has been there, and a payment history. Month to month with no paperwork is common and workable, it just gets valued differently.

This narrows the buyer pool to people who are willing to take on the time and cost of resolving it. Those buyers exist, and they price for it. What does not work is presenting the property as cleanly occupied when it is not.

Most buyers want to see inside at least once. Mississippi leases and practice vary on notice, so plan for a reasonable heads up to the tenant rather than a surprise walkthrough. If access genuinely cannot happen, say so early. Some buyers will still move, at a different number.