• Home
• Buyer Guide
• Seller Guide
• Credit Issues
• Lease Terms
• Resources

 

Chicago Rent To Own Homes

 

Rent to own homes can be a great way to buy or sell a house in the current economic environment. With lenders raising the bar for loan qualification Rent To Own and Lease Purchase homes offer an alternative avenue for buyers and sellers alike.

Our site is designed as a resource for those considering using a rent to own or lease purchase arrangement to buy or sell a home in the Chicago area.

What Is A Rent To Own Home?

Although there are many terms that apply to a Rent To Own Home they generally all have the same basic structure, The transfer of a home with a preliminary rental or lease period followed by a subsequent purchase that involves either owner or lender financing. Other terms for this type of arrangement are:

• Lease/Purchase
• Rent With Option To Buy
• Lease Option Purchase

This type of arrangement involves a lease agreement and a purchase agreement. In some cases the two are contained in a single document. In other cases the lease and option to purchase are separate. There is usually an Option Fee involved that gives the tenant/ buyer the option to purchase the home for a given period of time.

Rent To Own Homes And Lease Purchase Homes In The Area Chicago

Rent To Own Example

 

36 Month Lease

3% Option Fee = $6000

The Option Fee is paid at the beginning of the lease. This gives the buyer the option to purchase the home for a given price at a given time (usually at the end of the lease). This fee in non-refundable and usually does not constitute a down payment, deposit, or credit.

Monthly Rent = $1800

The total amount the tenant/buyer pays on a monthly basis to live in the home during the lease period.

Monthly Rental Credit = $500

In many arrangements a portion of the rent payment is credited to the down payment at the time of the purchase. This is known as the Monthly Rental Credit. This accumulates during the lease period on a monthly basis. At the end of a 36 month lease the accumulated rental credit would be $18,000.

In comparison to a standard mortgage at 8% this example actually builds equity faster during the lease phase with a monthly rental credit of $500. The mortgage would have a principle and interest payment of $1468/month. If you added PMI, insurance, and taxes to this amount it may result in a payment as high as the rent to own agreement.

Home Price $200,000

Home Purchase

At the end of the lease the tenant becomes a buyer and is required to secure financing to purchase the rent to own home. In this example the buyer would pay the purchase price less the accumulated monthly rental credits.

$200,000 - $18,000 = $182,000