Dp2 said it pretty well.

I have people calling me ALL THE TIME looking for Lease-to-Own houses from all over the country but the hard part is finding someone who is actually motivated to lease their house out first before the tenant/buyers purchase it at a later date. Despite what you may hear in the media, many homeowners don't "have to" sell, they would just "like to" sell. And many sellers set unrealistic terms if they do decide to Lease Purchase their house such as asking for 15% upfront money, only allowing a 6-12 month lease, or thinking that THEIR house is more valuable either now..., or after they look into their crystal ball, that their house will somehow appreciate more in 24 months than all the other houses on their street.

Generally speaking, there are 3x more tenant/buyers than sellers no matter what the market. They key, however, is to find someone who is actually motivated to SELL.

Darin

That depends. Tenant/buyers love to rent first, and buy later.

Holly, There are always people contacting us about renting a home and there are several reasons why. Someone might have poor credit and not be able to qualify for a loan. Others might be transfered for work and know that in a year they will be gone again. Some people just don't want to own a home and would rather rent. Before you consider renting a home, talk to an attorney about liabilities and have a lease drawn up. The last thing to remember is that being a landlord can be difficult. Please check references of potential renters.