Tuesday, February 24, 2009

How To Buy An Owner Financed Home

By Laeverneus Homebuysky

If you want to purchase your own home but do not have the deposit or meet other criteria to obtain a mortgage from a traditional lender, owner financed home may be a solution to your dilemma. Rather than continuing to pay rent to a landlord who benefits from property ownership, you can build wealth yourself. Every home payment you make brings you one step closer to owning your own home outright.

The way owner finance homes work is that instead of borrowing from a bank or mortgage finance company, the seller of the home can actually finance all or part of the purchase price. While partial financing is more common - if you lack funds for a deposit, for example - 100% financing may be possible depending on the terms the seller is willing to offer.

If you've been searching real estate listings and advertisements, chances are you haven't come across many owner finance home buying opportunities. This doesn't mean they don't exist - you just need to be creative in knowing how to approach a seller with an owner financing proposal. This is more likely to work if a home has been sitting on the market for a while and the seller isn't willing to lower the price in order to sell. In cases like these, the owner might be willing to consider financing all or part of the sale price - the only way to know is to ask.

You can also find owner financed homes on websites dedicated to this market. Though the requirements are not as strict as conventional lending standards, you must be able to demonstrate to the homeowner that you are able to make the required payments on the property. Because owner financing carries more risk for a lender, payments might be higher than you would otherwise pay with a traditional mortgage. But, if you can afford the payments, you can own a home when you wouldn't otherwise be able to do so. After you've built a solid payment history and some equity in your home, chances are you'll be able to refinance with a traditional lender to lock in a lower interest rate and monthly payment.

One of the most important things to do if you are considering buying an owner finance home is to hire an attorney to go over the contract and any other pertinent paperwork. You need to clearly understand what you are agreeing to, and you will want to make sure there aren't any stiff pre-payment penalties that would prevent you from refinancing down the road. Understanding your rights and obligations is very important before signing a contract.

Owner finance homes provide seller with the opportunity to quickly sell a home at the price they've set. But, buyers need to realize that the seller isn't doing you a special favor. It's important for buyers to exercise caution in evaluating any type of seller financing. All of the steps you would take for buying a home with a traditional lender, like a building inspection report and professional survey, should be undertaken.

In some cases, overeager buyers are quick to jump the gun and enter into an owner finance contract without really thinking it through. Make sure you're not buying someone else's problem home or being taken advantage of with a predatory lending contract. Doing your due diligence is important - resist the temptation to jump in with both feet without good research and planning.

With careful planning and research, an owner financed home can create a path to homeownership when other avenues are not available. If you have a long term plan for your success in buying an owner finance home, you can switch to a traditional mortgage later on when circumstances allow. - 15224

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