NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — With buyers scarce and financing tight, some home sellers are offering rent-to-buy options to potential buyers. In fact, there’s been enough of a spike in interest that ForSaleByOwner.com added it as a search option on the site, says spokesman Eric Mangan.
These deals, also called rent-to-own and lease-option, usually require buyers to pay extra rents each month plus up-front fees of about 5% of the purchase price. The regular rent then goes in owner’s pocket (presumably to pay the mortgage), but the additional payments are used to buy down the price of the home.
“Lease option agreements, if properly drafted, by and large are an effective way of enabling people to buy who are having trouble arranging financing or coming up with down payments,” said Lawrence Jacobson, a real estate attorney in Los Angeles. …Read More
