Kari Hoopes asked:

Buying a home can be a satisfying or frustrating experience depending how financially ready you are to own a home. Just the process of buying a home can be very expensive with the major expense of purchasing a home being the down payment. The purpose of a down payment is to pay the bank fees to get the mortgage setup and generate some equity in the home to hedge the risk the bank is taking. In years past, this down payment could be very small, but with the fall of the housing market in 2006, those days are long gone, making it prohibitively expensive to buy a home. When there are fewer buyers and less credit around, sellers begin to offer other ways to sell their home. The “Lease Option” is one such method. A Lease Option is technically a lease (rental) with the option to purchase. You are renting the home but have the right to purchase the home at anytime during the rental period at a pre-determined price.

A lease option can be a very favorable way to purchase a home because it provides the advantages of home ownership without the disadvantages of ownership. The main advantages include: (1) No mortgage fees (2) less for a down payment (3) limited risk if the value of the home falls but you profit as the home appreciates. When structured property, there really are no disadvantages to a lease option relative to purchasing the home with a mortgage. When compared with renting, the major disadvantages of a lease option include: (1) pay more money upfront than renting (2) you are responsible for repairs, not the landlord. Each advantage and disadvantage is discussed in greater detail below.

1. Advantage: No mortgage fees. Because a lease option is technically a rental, the agreement is between you and the seller. Because the bank is not involved, there are no bank fees, meaning that you don’t have to come up with the $5000 to $9000 that it costs to get a mortgage. However, eventually you will have to get a mortgage if you decide to stay in the home long term.

2. Advantage: Less for a down payment. Like the mortgage fees, because the agreement is between you and the seller, the money down is negotiable, and sometimes not required at all, though the amount down typically ranges between $5000 and $10000 dollars. This is still better than the bank will require.

3. Advantage: Limited risk and leveraged returns. A lease option is an option to purchase, not an obligation to purchase. This means that when the lease term expires, if the home has lost value, you can choose to walk away. You give up your down payment, but are not saddled with a home that cannot be sold. However, at the same time, if the home increases in value, because the purchase price is set, you can purchase the home for less than it is worth on the open market. This key element makes lease option homes potentially a great investment, because you can leverage your money with such little risk. For example. If you purchase a $300,000 home with a mortgage, you would need to bring about $20,000 at closing ($15,000 as a 5% down payment and $5000 to cover mortgage fees). If the home’s value increased 5% over two years, the home would be worth $315,000. Your $20,000 turned into $30,000 ($15,000 in equity to start + $15,000 in appreciation); a 50% return on your money over 2 years. However, if the home decreased 5% in value, the home would be worth $285,000, and your $20,000 investment turned into $0.00. However, if the same home was bought as a lease option, then $5000 down would turn into $20,000 ($5000 in equity to start + $15,000 in appreciation); a 400% return on your money over 2 years. If the home decreased 5% in value, the home would be worth $285,000 but you can walk away having only paid the upfront down payment of $5000. In this example, the lease option reduced potential profits by 75% and increased potential returns by 350%.

5. Disadvantage: Pay more money upfront. Typically a lease option requires a greater amount of money upfront than renting. This is not always the case and depends on how desperate the seller is the lease the home. Generally you can expect to pay twice what you normally would put as a deposit on a comparable rental.

6. Disadvantage: Responsible for repairs. One nice thing about renting is that the landlord is responsible for repairs. In a typical lease option, you are entirely responsible for maintenance of a home.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to buying a lease option. When compared with the buying the home with a mortgage, there is really no disadvantage and when compared with renting, a lease option is a relative low risk investment for little additional out of pocket expense. The key, however, is in the terms of the agreement between you and the landlord. The terms are negotiable, so make sure you do so. To summarize, a lease option can be a win/win situation for both buyer and seller. If you are looking for a home but don’t have enough for a regular down payment or are not sure if the market is going to get worse before better, consider a lease option and rest easy.

Real Estate Advisor asked:

Buying a home is a big-time real estate investment and has to be done with great prudence. Knowing where not to buy a home is as important as are the dos and don’ts of buying a home.

Of the many top ten lists on CNNMoney.com, there is listed the top ten overvalued cities in America where it is better not to buy a home for the next two years or so. The report states a variety of reasons for the unfavorable market conditions.

Five cities in California – Bakersfield, Fresno, Merced, Sacramento and Stockton, figure among the top ten cities that have the least possibility of home price appreciation. Home prices have reached a new high (by nearly 60%) in these areas over the past two years. With an economy driven by agriculture and relatively higher unemployment rates anticipated for that area, the real estate market is predicted to slump in the region.

Although three cities in Florida are recommended as good real estate buys, the report also cites four others in Southwest Florida that fall among the very bottom of the list. With home prices here expected to plummet very soon, cities like Fort Myers, Naples, Punta Gorda and Sarasota are those that one would do best to avoid for a year’s time or so, while buying a home or a condo.

Market prices are expected to decline in the Jersey Shore (New Jersey) area that saw a radical boom in the last two quarters. Although home prices in the third quarter have rebounded from the slight drop during the second quarter, the bubble is expected to burst soon and the overpriced market is likely to stabilize. The popular seaside cities of New Jersey, Atlantic City and Ocean city are anticipated to fall under the unfavorable list.

In Phoenix, Arizona, a hot favorite among investors last year, sliding home prices may to be an unavoidable occurrence in the next 12 months. With home prices dropping by more than $100,000 in some residential developments and investors trying to sell off their property, it is safer to wait for a year or longer before investing here.

Economists at Moody’s Economy.com also predict a sharp decline in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, California’s Inland Empire.

The bottom ten cities that are likely to see major drops in median home prices during the coming year are Stockton, (leading the list with a predicted fall of 9.7%), Merced, Reno/Sparks, Fresno, Vallejo/Fairfield, Las Vegas, Bakersfield, Sacramento, Washington, D.C and Tucson.

Given these fluctuating real estate market conditions, one should exercise a great deal of caution when investing in real estate. It makes sense to get the expert advice of a real estate agent to advise you about your next home purchase, since agents often have access to the most up-to-date real estate market data and neighborhood pricing trends.