I know some investors that work in that area that offer their houses via Lease to Own. You may be able to get into a house with as little as 3%-5%. Just remember that NOT ALL HOUSES are LISTED on your MLS!

IT IS NOT ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY TO USE A REALTOR when you are looking for a house (especially a house with owner financing). Realtors try to get you to put 10%+ upfront and some of them even discourage Lease-to-Own deals because THEY don't get paid till the property closes...if it ever closes. Seasoned Investors realize that the more money they receive upfront the better, but ALSO know that sometimes people who are serious about moving into a home these days may only have 3%-5%.

***We DO, however, suggest that you use a PROFESSIONAL (be it an Investor or a Real Estate Agent) that is VERY familiar in putting together Lease-to-Own paperwork. It should be done so that it's a win~win for everyone. Don't be afraid to explore ALL your options and do a little research.

There was a gentleman by the name of Bob Bruss who was very respected in the community, wrote national columns on real estate, and offered quite a bit of information for the general public. You may want to Google his name and search for his articles on Lease to Own's.

Hope this helps out.

kimdsides,

Despirate times require dersirate measures and these are truly difficult times for sellers. One of Trulia's common questions is " My home has been on the market for ___months, no offers and we have dropped the price to where we will be losing money. What can we do?"

The normal response is rent it or look to lease to sell.......

The best place to look is through a real estate professional who is very familiar with your target area. You should be able to find something.

Good luck,
The "Eckler Team"

Hi Kim,
I can set you up on a search in the Panama City Beach MLS that will automatically email you listings that fit your owner finance/lease to own criteria. Once set up you will get an automatic email from the MLS when a property comes on the market, has a price change, goes pending or gets sold.

To start I can email you all the listings that are curently listed as owner finance/lease to own.

Of course you can unsubscribe at any time from the automatic emails.

If you think that is something that might be helpful to you just email me or give me a call.
Thanks and have a GREAT day!

Kind regards, Mike Foate- By Land or By Sea!
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MIKE'S CELL: 850-596-4236
VIVIAN'S CELL: 850-814-2372
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Mike and Vivian Foate-REALTORS®
Prudential Shimmering Sands Realty, Inc.
400 S. Hwy 79
Panama City Beach, FL 32413

Try contact local agents that have properties for sale in that market. There are several sellers that are waiting for the market to turn around. I don't know of any properties that are listed as such- "Rent 2 Own" ~ but, seller financing is something that can be selected as part of a search criteria.

Seek properties that have been on the market more than 3 months, vacant and have motivated sellers. By offering a non-refundable deposit, your offers would be taken more seriously. What I mean by that is; Should you decide not to purcahse after a set time, that deposit would be forfeited.

Good Luck!

Many sellers are willing to be more creative in order to sell their properties in Panama City Beach now, with the market being so slow. I would suggest you find a few properties you're interested in and then make an offer. You never know until you ask. Your Realtor should be able to help as well. If you're not currently working with anyone, I would be happy to help you find something.

The first thing I would do is ask your real estate agent if they can perform a search for you. If your agent is a part of the Bay County Association of REALTORS, they can perform this search. If you want, send me an email at info@2millers.com and either I or one of my buyer specialist will be more than happy to send you listings that have owner financing or lease option.