Q: My renters want to buy my house in Atlanta. I moved from Atlanta to New Jersey last year, and I simply feel that I cannot sell at this point since I don’t know what will become of me at the end of this academic year.

The buyers are a bit pushy (well, the wife is), but I am wondering if she is hearing the 3.25 percent interest rate stuff from her mortgage broker. They continually send me emails about what is wrong with my house, as if I will start to negotiate the price.

I love my little house, despite its cracks, etc. I simply don’t want to be pressured. And I don’t want them to feel that it is OK to barter down the price because of the condition of the property or the status of the Atlanta housing market in general.

Should I sell my house to them? Or should I perhaps hang on to it, rent it to someone else, knowing that I don’t want to be pressured to sell low, and perhaps move back to Atlanta. Your thoughts?

A: No one can force you to sell your home. If you don’t want to sell, don’t. Simply say no. Don’t cave in to them or their demands. If they don’t want to rent it – they can move on at the end of the year. If you don’t want to rent it to them, you may not have an obligation to renew your lease with them when it comes up.

But I think if they (or someone else) makes what you consider to be a reasonable offer for your property, you should take it. Should you later decide to move back to Atlanta, you can buy another home for the same money – or perhaps even less.

You can also suggest a sales price for the home that would be acceptable to you but, perhaps too high for them to consider. If they find out that your price is too high, they may decide to move on.

Just remember – what you do with your real estate is up to you. And selling doesn’t mean you can’t come back home.