Buying a home
How to do this without getting taken.
What our homes are like, what your money is actually buying, and the six things to check about any lease-to-own operator in Houston before you hand over a dollar.
The homes
What we tend to have.
Our local lease to own homes are move-in ready, in good neighborhoods, and often freshly updated.
We acquire houses every month from homeowners who need to sell for one reason or another. Often times we remodel the homes to bring them up to date and up to insanely great shape for a new lease to own tenant / buyer like yourself to move into.
2 bedroom – 4 bedroom homes
1,400 – 2,500 square feet
Updated kitchens and bathrooms
Often many upgrades
Inventory changes monthly and there is no public listing page — homes go to the people on the list first. That is not a sales tactic, it is just how quickly they go.
The money
What you pay, and what each part of it does.
- The option fee
- Paid once, at the start. It buys you the exclusive right to purchase that house at the agreed price, and it is credited toward the purchase when you do. It is not a deposit and it is not rent — it is what makes the option yours.
- The monthly payment
- Part rent, part credit toward the purchase. The split is written into the agreement in figures, and the credit portion normally depends on the payment arriving on time.
- The purchase price
- Agreed at the start and fixed for the life of the option. When you buy, your option fee and accumulated credit come off it, and a lender covers the rest.
You should never be asked for a fee just to see homes
Not by us, and not by anyone. A charge to view a list, to "reserve" a property, or to be "pre-qualified" for a rent-to-own programme is the most common form this scam takes. The only money that should ever change hands is the option fee, on a specific house, through title or an attorney, with a receipt.
Check us out
Six things to check about any lease-to-own operator.
Including us. We have no testimonials we can prove and we are not going to invent any, so here is something more useful than quotes: the questions that separate a real operator from the other kind. Ask us all six.
- 01
Ask who owns the house right now
Get the address and check it against the county appraisal district. If the person offering you a lease-option does not own the property, ask why not.
- 02
Ask whether there is a mortgage on it
If the owner stops paying a loan you knew nothing about, the house can be foreclosed out from under you while you are paying on time. You are entitled to ask.
- 03
Get every number in writing before you pay anything
Purchase price, option fee, monthly payment, how much of it is credited, and the exact date the option expires.
- 04
Ask what happens if you can’t qualify in time
A straight answer is a good sign. A vague one is the whole problem with this industry.
- 05
Have the contract reviewed
By a real estate attorney, or a HUD-approved housing counsellor — counselling is free. An hour of someone’s time is cheap against what you are about to commit to.
- 06
Never pay in cash or by gift card
A legitimate option fee goes through title or an attorney’s trust account and you get a receipt. Nothing about that is negotiable.
For Houston specifically: property ownership is public record at the Harris County Appraisal District, and the neighbouring counties publish the same. Searching an address there takes about a minute and tells you who actually owns the house you are being offered.
If anything you find does not match what you have been told — by us or by anyone else — stop, and ask about it before you pay anything.
When you're ready
Tell us what you're looking for.
No credit check, no fee, and no obligation. If we have nothing that fits, we will say so rather than keep you on a list for the sake of it.
Or call
281-609-7511Find out what you could actually get into.
Tell us the area, the bedrooms and what you can comfortably pay. We will tell you honestly whether we have something that fits — and if lease-to-own is the wrong route for you, we will tell you that too.