Owner Financed Homes: What You Should Know
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 looking for an owner finance home by perusing real estate listings and ads, chances are you haven’t seen too many owner financed homes for sale. Don’t get discouraged – they are available – you just need to know where to look, and how to approach a seller about an owner finance option. Though a particular seller might not advertise owner financing, if a home has been on the market for a while and the seller does not want to budge on the price, then they might be willing to consider owner financing. Of course, this depends on whether the current owner is in a good financial position to take on an owner finance contract, but you’ll never know unless you make a proposal.
There are also websites, which specialize in marketing owner finance homes. You may not have to meet normal lending criteria but you will have to be able to prove your capacity to pay the required monthly payment. These payments are often higher than if you took out a traditional mortgage, however if you are able to make them they can be a means to an end. Once you build a history of payments and create equity in your home, you may be able to refinance with a bank or other traditional lender at a lower interest rate.
Before committing to an owner financed home, however, it is important to employ a lawyer to carefully read through the contract. Make sure you understand what you are agreeing to. You need to be able to pay out your loan without heavy penalties and refinance if you wish. It is also important that you understand your rights and obligations once you enter into the agreement.
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.
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