What Is A Lease Purchase Mortgage?

Definition of "What is a lease purchase mortgage?"

Wondering what is the best  lease purchase mortgage definition?

A lease purchase mortgage is a financing option that allows potential homebuyers to lease a property with the option to buy that very property at the end of the set term.

Rent-to-own properties come in two forms: a lease option and a lease purchase. While the former gives the Tenant the option but not the obligation to buy the home, a lease purchase mortgage can legally obligate you to buy the property at the end of the term, whether you have the money to do it or not.

With it, Tenants pay the monthly rent, which covers the owner's first mortgage payment plus an additional amount – typically deposited in an escrow account - as a savings deposit to accumulate cash for a down payment. Lease purchase mortgage typically last 2 to 3 years, after which the Tenant pays up the rest of the house and becomes the actual homeowner. Lease purchase mortgages are usually given to home buyers with poor credit score and/or to home buyers who are pending on the sale of their own home, so they need the time to collect the money and pass it forward.

The lease purchase mortgage is great for the home buyer but why would a home seller agree to a lease purchase mortgage?- you ask.

Well, if the housing market is saturated and they are having difficulty selling the property, this might be a way to attract home buyers that wouldn’t qualify for a regular mortgage. The home seller will still get the money in the end and in the meantime will, at least, have the rent income.

 

Real Estate Advice:

The legal terms can sometimes be tricky. Not to mention that certain aspects change from state to state. Have a local real estate agent review the contract when you sign your rent-to-own contract to make sure you are signing a lease option contract - if that’s the case - and not a purchase mortgage agreement.

image of a real estate dictionary page

Have a question or comment?

We're here to help.

*** Your email address will remain confidential.
 

 

Popular Mortgage Questions

Popular Mortgage Glossary Terms

Requirements stipulated by the lender that the ratio of housing expense to borrower income and the ratio of housing expense plus other debt service to borrower income cannot exceed ...

A computer-driven process for informing the loan applicant very quickly, sometimes within a few minutes, whether the application will be approved, denied, or forwarded to an underwriter. ...

The assumption that the index value to which the interest rate on an ARM is tied follows the same pattern as in some prior historical period. In meeting their disclosure obligations in ...

The amount of the original loan remaining to be paid. It is equal to the loan amount less the sum of all prior payments of principal. ...

The sum of all interest payments to date or over the life of the loan. This is not a good measure of the cost of credit to the borrower because it does not include upfront cash payments and ...

A borrower who submits applications through two loan providers, usually mortgage brokers, without their knowledge. Home purchasers sometimes submit more than one loan application as a way ...

A borrower with the best credit rating, deserving of the lowest prices that lenders offer. ...

The lowest interest rate possible under an ARM contract. Floors are less common than ceilings. ...

Same as term Qualification: The process of determining whether a prospective borrower has the ability to repay a loan. ...