As a potential real estate buyer, it is imperative to have some know-how of the way real estate transactions work, and also what alternate real estate transactions can be extremely beneficial. One such deal is known as the Owner Finance method. Not a lot of people know what this deal type means or how they can find one.
So, what exactly is Owner Finance? Simply put, when Owner Finance is used for buying a property, instead of the buyer applying at a bank or lender for a home loan, the seller gives the buyer a loan directly for the property. This means that the seller is carrying part or the entire purchase price in a mortgage with their bank or lender. In a traditional real estate deal, the seller receives his money at settlement, which usually occurs in 4 to 6 weeks from exchange of contracts.
However, in the case of Owner Finance, rather than acquiring all the money at closing, the seller collects monthly repayments from the buyer. Contracts exchange at the beginning of the deal, but do not settle for years later. In this scenario, it is the seller or owner who is playing the part that the lending company or bank usually plays. This arrangement is particularly popular to property that has a clear title, without any pre-existing loans.
In an Owner Finance agreement, both the seller and the buyer come to an agreement with the financing settlement, the repayment plan and the interest rate. There is less risk to either party being ripped off, since all agreements made are legalized by documenting them into the contract.
Despite the fact that this might sound like an unusual deal, it actually has a lot of benefits for both the seller and the buyer. Buyers no longer need to deal with financial institutions and all the application, processing and services fees that they entail. There is also no need to deal with pre-qualifying for bank requirements. You can even arrange for the interest to be fixed for the period of the term, this way the repayments remain the same for the entirety of the deal. This way, both parties know the exact amount required for the repayments for the length of the term. The buyer will not have to qualify like he would when applying for bank finance, the sellers main concern will be can the buyer easily afford the monthly repayments on the property? An Owner Finance arrangement can be set up and moved into much quicker than purchasing a property the traditional way.
For sellers, they can receive their full asking price, losing no money in agent fees or commissions. None of the seller’s hard earned equity will be given away to a real estate agent in fees and commissions, as there is no real estate agent involved in this type of transaction. Sometimes the seller may be able to charge a higher price due to the flexible terms he is providing. The seller may also receive a tax break since he will be declaring a smaller yearly income due to the installments, unlike the lump sum amount received in a traditional sale. This also means that the seller will receive a steady monthly income based on the payment plan until the amount is paid off. Another benefit that the seller can take advantage of is to command a higher interest rate be paid than what he is paying, as a reward for the flexible terms of sale being offered. The property will only be on the market for a small amount of time. This means that the selling period is short due to the popularity of the deal amongst buyers, even in this economy.