Lease purchase
or lease
purchase option is a contract between buyer and seller which is
a form of financing for purchasing a home. Buyer leases the property
for a certain period of time then agrees to purchase the home at the
end of the lease at a set price.
The
buyer puts down option deposit which will later will be added to purchase
price. Buyer also pays monthly payments like rent which some portion
of it, will go to pay principal of the mortgage of the home. Then after
lease agreement is over, the buyer has option to buy the property.
If
the buyer decides not to buy the property or doesn't pay monthly payment,
the seller keeps the option deposit and the lease option agreement is
no longer in effect. If the buyer pays monthly payment on time and decides
to purchase the home at the end of the lease, the buyer purchase home
with some equity already in it. The set price buyer agrees to purchase,
includes her option deposit and also portion of monthly payment paid
during lease period.
This
is truly win win situation of real estate deals for both buyer and seller.
This is a great
way to purchase home for a buyer who is not qualifying mortgage
or doesn't have enough money to put as a down payment. Also, it is a
great
way to sell a home when the demand for home is low or want to make
profit tenant-nightmare free. This is also a great for investor who
wants to sub-lease option purchase. Investor has the control over property
without using much money. Let's look at some benefits.
Lease
purchase option buyer's benefits
-
Little
money up front: Unlike mortgage, buyers need option deposit which
is much lower than down payment. Option deposit will go to purchasing
the home at the end of the lease.
-
Equity
growth: Some portion of monthly payment goes to pay principal of
mortgage. It is much better than rent, buyer actually saves money
and grow equity. It is better than mortgage because you need little
money to purchase home and equity growth is faster. Usually at the
end of the lease, the buyer needs little or no need for down payment
since there is already equity saved in the property.
-
Little
or no down payment at the end of closing: Buyer has already established
credit paying monthly payment and has equity in home so often there
is no or little down payment required at closing.
-
Assign
of lease: Buyer can assign the lease to third party and make profit.
-
Control
of home: Buyer has legal control of home during lease period. It
is a leverage with little liability. Buyer gains control over home
without owning it.
-
Flexible
qualification for Credit: For people who has bad credit, lease option
can be a great benefit. They have time to fix their credit until
they actually purchase the home. Banks or mortgage lenders don't
look at buyer's credit, the only person who buyers have to deal
is the owner. So the qualification is more flexible.
-
Buyers
can make improvements on their home since they are going to be the
future owner.
-
Buyers
don't pay property taxes, insurance for the property during lease
period so this can save them money even though they have control
over the property.
-
Minimal
Maintenance: Large maintenance problems or any maintenance problems
that exceed a certain amount of money are delegated to the seller.
-
Possible
appreciation: The sale price of home is locked in so if the property
appreciates, the buyer gains profit. Buyer has more equity at closing.
Lease
purchase option seller's benefits
-
Set
selling price: The price of home is locked in, so even if real
estate market depreciates, the seller is still selling a home
at agreed price. Seller
can actually sell for higher price than usual since he is offering
a term of financing. There are many people who want to lease purchase
option.
-
No
landlording: Having a tenant can be a nightmare! But having lease
purchase buyer, there is no more landlording problem. These people
actually want to buy this house so they take care of the place
like their own. They pay monthly payment on time not to lose option
deposit. They may make improvements to their home since they are
going to be the future owner.
-
Little
risk: When the buyer fails to pay monthly payments or decides
not to buy the house, the seller keeps the option deposit. So
seller still benefits.
-
Cash
flow: Seller can charge little bit higher monthly payment than
rent since they are providing financing and the portion of the
payment goes to the principal of the loan. With higher rent payments,
seller has some positive cash flow.
-
Tax
advantage: Seller is still the owner until buyer decides to purchase.
So tax benefit can go to the seller.
-
No
realty commission: Since there is no real estate agent or broker
involved, seller saves real estate commissions.
-
No
vacancies: There is high demand for lease option purchase. There
are many people who can't get financing from mortgage lenders.
Lease purchase option is one of the fastest way to find the buyer.
It
is not common to find lease purchase option deals. They
are often created. It is all about giving solution to people's
problem. Both seller and buyer can have problem they need to be resolved.
There are many people who can't get conventional way to finance their
home and there are many people whose house hasn't sold for a while
and needs to sell house. If investor can offer a solution to their
problem, he has found the deal.
Investors
can also profit by sub-lease purchase option. For example, let's say
that investor signed the lease option contract for 2 years at $70,000.
He paid option deposit for $3,000 and monthly payment of $800. $200
of monthly payment will go to payment of principal. Now, he assigns
the contract to another person. Here, it is also for 2 years at $75,000.
The new buyer pays $4,000 for option deposit and $850 for monthly
payment and $200 will go to principal. Now, the investor made $50
profit monthly for 2years, $1000 on option deposit and $5,000 when
the buyer practice option to purchase.
Want
To Learn More About Lease Purchase?
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