Back to flat fee listing

Well, I've gone back to flat fee listing services on both my houses for sale after wasting 2 months with a full service Realtor. The first Realtor was totally unprofessional while the second just wasn't interested in selling the property. At least that is the impression he gave me.

For my wholesale house I am using a new service called IggysHouse which has no charge at all (most flat fee listing services charge $300-$700 for their service). The flat fee listing service that I had for my more expensive rehab is going to give me the balance of my listing time at no charge, but I expect there will be a renewal fee.

I'm also considering a rent to own option for the rehab house. The main problem is that it will give me a big negative cash flow and leave me with a house still unsold next fall if they renters don't buy. I feel I am in lose-lose situation with this house at this point. There are no good options.

• refinance and rent - drops payment $300 per month but lose another $4k upfront and still lose money if I rent it
• drop price under $200k per Realtor recommendation- lose money (already spent over $201k and rising $2300 per month). Unknown how long it will take to sell at this price.
• rent to own - lose probably $800 per month for next year and hope buyer gets financing. Only 30-50% chance of that, so I most likely will have the house vacant again next fall

I had convinced my wife to invest in real estate this year so that she did not have to get a job. I was sure we could make $20k. Looks like I will lose at least $20k this year with no end in sight.