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Facts About Purchasing Rent To Own Homes In Baltimore MD

By Deborah Murphy


Renting a home to buy is a good option for individuals who need more time to buy a property. If consumers choose to rent to own, a part of rent goes toward buying the home they are renting. In order to buy rent to own homes in Baltimore, consumers have to sign two agreements. These agreements are the option to purchase the house and the rental agreement.

The rental agreement is similar to the typical lease. It specifies the rental fee and the lease term. The term is usually 2 or 3 years. The tenants are also required to abide by a several terms and conditions such as no pets, general conduct requirements and occupancy limits. People who do not abide by the terms and conditions can be kicked out and may lose the money they have paid towards buying the house.

In the rental agreement, you may also be responsible for performing maintenance on the house. The logic behind this requirement is that you will have the motivation to ensure that the house remains in good condition if you will become the owner in a few years. Nevertheless, the property owner will be responsible for making major repairs that can make the home uninhabitable.

In a rent to buy deal, you have the option to purchase the home within the period stipulated in the lease agreement. For instance, if the agreement stipulates a 3 year rental term, you have three years to purchase the house. You can rest assured that the property will not be sold to anyone else.

You will be required to pay an option fee. This fee could vary anywhere from 2 to 7.5 percent of the purchase price of the home. The option fee will be credited toward the purchase of the home at the end of the lease term.

The rent charged for lease to own homes is usually higher than that charged for conventional rental homes. The reason for this is that some of the rental fee is saved as credit that will go towards buying the house. People who seek a higher credit pay higher rental fees. Consumers should also note that the lease agreement may state that they may lose the rent credit if they pay their rental fees late.

When buying a rent to own home, buyers usually agree on the price of the house up front. In most cases, this is the current value of the property in the market, but it may also be a little bit higher. At times, tenants are allowed to delay the decision to purchase the home until the end of their lease term. Tenants can negotiate the price of a home. If a person decides not to purchase the home, the option fees and credit accumulated may not be refunded.

Renting to own is a good arrangement for people who are not ready or willing to apply for a mortgage the regular way. This can be the case for people who lack enough funds to make the down payment or have poor credit scores. This arrangement allows consumers to have additional time to improve their credit scores and save money as they build some equity. It is also convenient for people who want to try living in a particular neighborhood before they buy a house.




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