If you’re considering selling your home soon, but are hoping to make a bit more of an immediate profit than what is traditionally made during the home selling process, look no further than the contract for deed. This legal real estate concept is a great way to achieve just that, assuming you have the finances to pull it off.
The contract for deed is also known as a land contract or an installment sale agreement. It is a contract entered into between the home seller and a buyer where you as the seller provide the financing to make it possible for the buyer to purchase the property. Essentially, you’re acting as the lender and providing funds for the buyer to purchase the home outright, whereas a bank or other type of lending institution would usually do this.
As a result, you as seller retain legal title to the property, while the buyer is allowed to take actual possession of it for every conceivable purpose except legal ownership. Just like a traditional mortgage, the agreed upon price of the property is paid in installments. Usually what happens is a balloon payment is required at a much closer time to the sale of the house than would otherwise be typical in a traditional mortgage. The buyer is also often required to make a downpayment before the seller agrees to offer financing.
There are a variety of different reasons why someone would choose a contract for deed over a traditional mortgage. One of the most common reasons is because it can be used as a form of short-term seller financing. Since the purchase price must usually be paid in full many years earlier than it would be in a traditional mortgage, the seller stands to benefit in the long run a lot quicker. Other reasons include not having to pay additional closing fees for a lending institution to investigate a potential buyer’s financial background before determining whether or not they will approve a home mortgage for them.
Make sure you do your research before opting to go with a contract for deed, as each state tends to have their own rules about them. Ultimately a seller could certainly benefit from offering a contract for deed in more ways than one, if they have the financial means to offer it to a trusted buyer.
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