Jhoana Cooper asked:




Buying a home is a dream come true for many people. Rent-to-own homes are a great option for people who don’t have the money to buy homes outright. There are homes for rent to own suiting various budgets that are easy on the pocket. Real estate industry worldwide is going through a tough phase. The sector surely needs more such dynamic ideas to save the property buyers and sellers.

The scheme for rent-to-own homes is a simple one. One can locate a suitable house and move in. Instead of buying the home outright, the tenant can start paying monthly rents to the owner. After some time, usually after 3 years, the ownership of the home can be transferred to the tenant. Homes for rent to own are a superb option for people who want to buy a home but don’t want to get into the hassles of down payment.

Some people are lucky enough to have enough money to buy homes of their own. They don’t need to bother about money. But not everyone is that lucky. Some people simply cannot afford to pay the full amount for the house or even the initial down payment. The down payment is a hefty amount. For these people, rent-to-own homes are an option that allows them to buy their dream homes without any initial payment.

There are some websites that help people to procure homes for rent to own. It’s a simple matter of registering with one of these websites and after that, there is no headache for the prospective buyer.

Someone looking for rent-to-own homes can actually leave everything to these homes for rent to own websites. These professional websites can find a suitable home, negotiate on the contract, help in increase credit and qualify the buyer for availing a mortgage facility. In short, from the day users register with these websites, they can leave everything to be taken care of. Quite a few of them are professional organizations that deal with homes for rent to own and can guarantee complete satisfaction for the prospective home owners.

Not only finding a finalizing a home, these rent-to-own homes websites also help people move in smoothly and set up residence. They also help the tenants gradually build in equity and make purchases without bothering about down payments.

It is true that there are many websites that deal in rent-to-own homes. However, one has to be aware about these websites and only go to trusted sources. Buying a home is a one time investment for most people and a wrong deal can ruin someone for life. It is essential that homes for rent to own are purchased from credible sources that can make sure that the prospective owners don’t have any headache. There are a lot of legal and other formalities that need to be taken care of when dealing in houses. It is very important to approach people who know what they are doing. Buying a home can be made simpler than it actually is if professionals dealing in rent-to-own homes are contacted to handle the formalities. After that, it’s a lovely journey that culminates in buying a dream home.

Real Estate Advisor asked:




The National Association of Realtors (NAR) conducted a survey to identify the typical profile of homebuyers and home sellers. The most recent findings were published in NAR’s 2006 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers report. This article focuses on the profile of a typical home seller based on the NAR report.

According to the report, the median age of a home seller is 46 years, which is older than the typical home buyer’s age of 41 years. Home sellers have a higher income than homebuyers with a median household income of $83,200 in 2005, as compared to $71,800 for homebuyers. Home sellers being older than the typical home buyer are less likely to have children under 18 living in their home, and are more likely to be married-couples.

On average, homeowners sold their property after 6 years of ownership. Approximately 13% of homeowners are first-time home sellers.

According to the report, the most common reasons why homeowners sell their current home is the need for a larger home, or to move closer to friends and family, or to relocate. Older home sellers (ages 65 and above) were more likely to sell their current homes because they wanted to downsize to a smaller home. Younger home sellers (ages 44 and below) were more likely to sell their home because they wanted larger home.

The median sales price was found to be more or less at par with the listing price. According to the report, the median sales price in 2005 was 99% of the median listing price. An average home stayed on the market for 6 weeks before it was sold.

Real estate professionals continue to play a major role in successful home selling. The percentage of home owners who used the services of a real estate agent or broker to sell their homes was 84%. Of these, 80% sold their homes by using an agent or broker exclusively. For Sale By Owner (FSBO’s) accounted for 12% only.

The major factors that influenced home sellers to choose their real estate agents were – Agent’s reputation (35%), honesty and trustworthiness (21%), agent being a friend or family member (15%) and knowledge of a neighborhood (11%). About 44% of sellers chose their agent based on referrals from friends or relatives and 30% based on previous experience with an agent. Home sellers report great satisfaction with their real estate agent; 82% of them said that they would use the same agent again or recommend their agent to others.

The Internet continues to be the major marketing tool of home sellers with 88% of recent home sellers having listed their homes in the local multiple listing service (MLS). More than 50% of home sellers used yard signs and open houses.

If you are considering buying or selling a home, condo or any other type of real estate, be sure to seek out the services of a knowledgeable real estate agent to help you with this complex transaction.