HomeRun Homes Rent to Own Homes Blog

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HomeRun Homes is a centralized marketplace which helps people Find or Sell a Rent to Own Home, both Nationwide and Globally to the thriving Rent to Own Market. http://www.lease2buy.com
Showing posts with label rent to own homes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rent to own homes. Show all posts

November 21, 2012

Crucial Parts of a Rent to Own Deal

Hi Folks,
   Thanksgiving week is upon us as quickly as I think I've ever experienced it before. Does anyone else feel the same way?

   "Rent to Own Homes" are an excellent vehicle for both buyers and sellers, however, some folks throw around those 4 words in a haphazard manner with no thought behind it. When that happens, it opens the door to bad things, and some bad folks trying to profit on the backs of innocent people.

   With our 10-year anniversary celebration ongoing, by now, you should be fully convinced that we take the phrase, "Rent to Own Homes", quite seriously, and we cannot stress enough just how important it is to sort out  all of the facts and responsibilities of all parties, just as in any other business contract.

   There are certain things that the Seller/Homeowner must do, as well as certain things that the Prospective Tenant/Buyer must do, but most importantly, these things must be coordinated between both of the parties. Ignoring these things are the sure sign of legal repercussions down the road, for both parties.

   In an aptly-named article, "Questions to consider if looking to rent-to-own", Joanna Jackson, a sales manager/associate broker with Jackson Realty, wrote up a concise breakdown of these specific items.

   Basically, as you might imagine, these run the gammut between Who fixes the toilet bowl, who pays for the handyman, if needed, and plenty of "What If?" scenarios.

   Jackson list the following items the seller will need to consider; Who will tend to the property, pay for routine maintenance, and pay for major repairs? Will you be managing the property, and if not, will you hire a real estate agent (and what are the costs of those two routes)? How much does it cost to set up and manage an escrow account for the portion of rent allotted to the down payment? What if the renters bail on you? Who keeps the money in the escrow account? If the buyers change their minds, what will be required to put the property back on the market for sale?

   Jackson also lists some of the items that need to be thought out by the buyers; How much, if any, of the rent is going to the down payment? What if you change your mind (How locked in are you if you change your mind?), What will it cost you to get out of the deal, if needed?, How long will it take to accumulate enough of a down payment to help you towards qualifying for a mortgage?, Who is responsible for paying the property taxes (and other local taxes) and insurance on the property?

   These are all very open-ended questions with no Right or Wrong answer, however, there are certain local "traditions" or procedures that vary from state to state and sometimes even county to county. I fully concur with Jackson, who states that when "considering a rent-to-own deal, seek legal advice from a real estate attorney". I go one step further and suggest an attorney that is local to the property, and thus, the local laws.

   Although these above-mentioned items can seem a thorn in your side, remember one thing; these are what make a Rent to Own Deal an actual "Rent to Own Deal", vs. a shady open-ended agreement with many gray areas, which can stop you from selling your home, or, can stop you from obtaining your dream home. Nail it down the first time so everyone walks away happy!

   Have you had any good or bad experiences with a Rent to Own deal? We'd love to hear which of these suggestions came into play during the process.

   From your team at HomeRun Homes, we wish you a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving Holiday!

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Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes - Rent to Own Homes, since 2002
"Located at the Corner of Technology and Real Estate"
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #RenttoOwn #Homes #buyer #seller #contract #homeowner #tenant #property #maintenance #repairs #escrow #rent #sale #downpayment #qualify #mortgage #propertytax #realestate #attorney

August 15, 2012

The Unwritten Rules Of Internet Real Estate Websites

Hi Folks,
   Once in a while, there is information that I like to share with you, however, I like to try not to cross over the line of impartial (not by too much, at least) to "Sales Pitch". Today is one of those such days!

   As anyone in the Real Estate industry will tell you, with a few clicks of the mouse, you can have a seemingly infinite amount of resources to help you decide to buy or sell a property. Data on past sales, photos, floor plans, etc, can all be located on the Internet, and can speed up the entire process.

   However, "not all websites are created equal, and not every participant knows how to properly harness the opportunities offered by the Web", says David Bediz, principal of the Dwight and David Group, LLC of Coldwell Banker Dupont, in a story titled, "Real Estate in the Internet age", on the website, WashingtonBlade.com. Bediz points to some agents that are still relying on "blurry cell-phone-camera photographs to help them sell their listings". Bediz says that sellers need to monitor their listings for mistakes and to be more vigilant. As for the other side of the closing table, Bediz say that Buyers have a "responsibility to themselves to learn the differences in online information sources"

   When we talk about Real Estate data websites, quite often, Trulia and Zillow are quoted by major media outlets, but as Bediz says, "the truth is that most of their listings contain inaccuracies.", and he says that most notably, "Trulia and Zillow are notorious for posting listings as “Active” that have long since sold.", and says that they "rarely post listings at the moment they are listed. This prevents a serious homebuyer from learning about a new home listing quickly enough to act on it, especially in a situation where there could be multiple offers."

   Why do these "big fish" websites have these deficiencies?

   Bediz says that it, in a way, "it’s because of their sheer size", and adds that since they are nationwide sources of data, and "to collect data from every corner of the country, they cannot possibly rely on a direct connection to each online database (Multiple Listing Service, or MLS) for each area. This is especially true when some areas are served by several MLS’s, and also when many of these services charge upwards of tens of thousands of dollars for direct access to their services." The way they go about it, as Bediz describes, is that they rely on "relationships with the major brokerages that exist nationwide to feed information to them directly, and they also have built-in programs to scour the web for additional listing and sale data." For any properties listed by a smaller brokerage, those listings may never show up on these two major sites (since they wouldn't have a "direct method for feeding listing data to those websites").

   So how can a buyer ensure that they are seeing current (as well as accurate) listings, and how can a seller ensure their listings are seen everywhere (including Trulia and Zillow)?

   Bediz suggests that buyers should visit "REALTOR.com or, locally, HomesDatabase.com, which is the public side of the only MLS that serves Washington, D.C. and surrounding areas.". He also suggests checking out "Other individual and broker websites" (including his website, www.DwightandDavid.com), which he says has, "direct connections to the MLS". For Rent to Own Homes websites, such as our site (Lease2Buy.com and HomeRunHomes.com), there is no direct connection to Trulia and Zillow, however, we do Feed our listings to them, and they get picked up as for Sale, with the keywords of your descriptions absorbed within the listing on other major Nationwide Real Estate Data and Listing websites. This certainly boosts traffic to your Ad.

   Bediz suggests that you ask an agent that might list your home if "their brokerage has a direct feed to Trulia and Zillow.", and if the agent pays to "advertise on those sites, or pays to increase the visibility of their listings there.".

   What has your experience been with Trulia, Zillow, and other major Real Estate data websites?


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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
Rent to Own Homes and Real Estate Blog for HomeRun Homes: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #RealEstateWebsite #Trulia #Zillow #MultipleListingService #MLS #brokerage #realtor #renttoown #listings #offers #pastsales #floorplans #homebuyer #feeds

September 18, 2011

The Rent to Own Juggernaut

Hi Folks,
   Welcome back to one and all.

   We have caught some flack over the past couple of years for keeping the title of this blog as, "HomeRun Homes Real Estate and Rent to Own Homes Blog", but the fact is that the Real Estate Market, Housing Numbers, Economic Conditions, etc., all have an effect on the gaining popularity and increasing momentum of the "Rent to Own Juggernaut", as I like to call it. Therefore, when it appears I am writing about Existing Homes Sales or Home Prices, these all tie in to the main title of this Blog. The sum of the parts are greater than the whole...

   On that note, today, we are staring directly into the face of the Juggernaut, as we are seeing more and more publicity on this form of Real Estate agreement. Some of the publicity is just an explanation of how the process works, but the point is, by educating the public, that is "publicity" !

   Our most recent example is a story in the Sioux City Journal, titled, "Rent-to-own transactions popular", by Jim Woodard. In this particular article, Woodard explains the process; "The homeowner agrees to rent his home for a specified period of time, usually from one to three years. At the same time, the tenant receives an option to buy the property at any time during the rental period at an agreed-on price.". Woodard also discusses the option fee and the rent credit (which vary by regional laws and between different homeowners).

   Woodard also points to some benefits to buyers that are perhaps cash-strapped or cannot qualify for a mortgage until their credit and financial status improves, however, they can move into the home and purchase it when their financial health improves.

   On the other side of the deal table, Woodard says that this can be a "wise option for the homeowner", who might need to wait quite some time in this sluggish market, and if the seller already owns a second home, they can "avoid making two mortgage payments each month without any revenue generated from his previous residence."

   Of course, there are caveats on both sides of the table (the buyer needs to make sure the seller's home is free of any liens of pending foreclosure, and seller needs to do some due-diligence on the buyer). As always, with any Real Estate deal, consult a local attorney or title company that is familiar with the local laws regarding these deals.

   Educating the public on Rent to Own Homes is a fantastic was to put it into the mainstream of the Real Estate market and start changing the Housing Market and the Economy for the better...what do you think?

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Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog: http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Websites: http://www.lease2buy.com and http://www.homerunhomes.com


TAGS: #RenttoOwnHomes #RealEstate #HousingNumbers #EconomicConditions #pendingforeclosure #titlecompany

April 18, 2011

HomeRun Homes Purchases HomeRunHomes.com Domain Name

Good Morning All,

   We are glad to announce that after a long and drawn-out bidding war, we have purchased the HomeRunHomes.com Domain Name, and basically, this means that both Lease2Buy.com and HomeRunHomes.com can be used interchangeably to access our website.

   For all of those of you that have yelled at us for not buying it when we first started 9 years ago, the Press Release that has been circulated should explain why !

Please Read Below:

For Immediate Release:

Robert Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes
(631) 676-3609
(631) 574-2420
http://www.Lease2Buy.com

HomeRun Homes Purchases HomeRunHomes.com Domain Name

Lake Ronkonkoma, New York, April 18, 2011 - HomeRun Homes (www.Lease2Buy.com), one of the largest online marketplaces for Rent to Own Homes, has announced that they have won the long bidding process for, and were cleared to purchase, the domain name HomeRunHomes.com.

Clearing up Confusion - Disparity Between Company Name and Domain Name

HomeRun Homes was incorporated in New York State in 2002, by it's CEO & Founder, Robert Eisenstein. Eisenstein purchased the domain name of Lease2Buy.com when they first opened their doors, because, as Eisenstein says, "the keyword terms of rent and own were not available, so we reserved the name with the alternate keywords of lease and buy, thus, lease2buy".

Eisenstein says that one major issue that emerged over time was that fact that when people "hear" the name "HomeRun Homes" they usually just, "add a .com to then end of it and assume that is our website". He says that, "95% of the time, that is the case, but it's that 5% that we also need to accommodate."

The domain name of HomeRunHomes.com was owned by an investment firm and was "parked", which means that it was basically sitting and waiting for offers. Eisenstein says that after a long-bidding war against a few other investors (different investors that were trying to outbid him), the firm paid a, "substantial amount in the after-market for the domain name", which now auto-forwards to Lease2Buy.com, and thus, both Lease2Buy.com and HomeRunHomes.com can be used interchangeably to access the services of HomeRun Homes.

HomeRun Homes, which is approaching their 9th anniversary, if often billed as "The" Rent to Own Homes Marketplace", and the website unites both buyers and sellers of Rent to Own Homes via their classified ads.

For additional information on the topic, "HomeRun Homes Purchases HomeRunHomes.com Domain Name", please visit http://www.Lease2Buy.com

ABOUT HOMERUN HOMES

Founded in 2002, HomeRun Homes is a Centralized Marketplace which helps people Buy or Sell a Rent to Own Home, a Commercial Property, or to offer Home Services nationwide and globally to the thriving Rent to Own market

- END -

Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
Regards,
Rob Eisenstein
HomeRun Homes Blog http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Website http://www.lease2buy.com

December 22, 2010

Holiday Wishes From HomeRun Homes

Hi Everyone,

   Hope your week is going smoothly. At this time, you may very well have visions of sugar plums dancing in your head, so I will make this short and sweet today !

   I just want to take this time to thank you for being a dedicated reader of my blog, and to say that I truly and genuinely appreciate the time you have spent reading my observations, views, (and sometimes even my rants!), and further, I hope that you've learned a thing or two along the way. As always, you can always contact me in order to suggest any topics or issues for me to investigate, review, and post in this blog. I am ready, willing, and able to accommodate you, as always.

   This will be our last post until Monday 12/27, so to our friends that celebrate Christmas, I wish you the Merriest Christmas ever, from our family and our company to you and your family. May the season bring you peace, serenity, and joy.

Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !
HomeRun Homes Blog http://blogging.lease2buy.com
HomeRun Homes Website http://www.lease2buy.com

September 22, 2010

Misuse of Tax Funds During Lean Times

Hi Everyone,
   Hope your week is going well. I have a few miscellaneous topics that I would like to touch on today.

   I'd first like to rant about the silly misuse of tax funds during lean times. In Central Long Island, we have many double-yellow two-way roads that weave through multiple different communities. The problem is that the traffic always tends to back up due to the growing population, coupled with the fact that it is only one-lane Eastbound and one-lane Westbound.

   Now, fortunately, towards the end of last year, they began a project which we believed would be to widen the road (2 lanes Eastbound/2 lanes Westbound). They reclaimed property from the sides of the road, cut down trees, and tied up traffic even further with this project. However, after a few punctured tires and ruined front-ends on our cars, we stuck it out, assuming that we will all be in a much better place with that extra lane.

   Pay Attention - here is the kicker; They are putting an island in the middle of the road to separate it ! Almost one year of work just for an island? OK, in all fairness, I think that there will be a left turning lane carved into the island, but was that really worth the effort and the capital expenditure?

   Now that my rant is over, we received an interesting suggestion that we are considering, and it was from a Real Estate Agent that said we should let Agents put their picture on their Realtor/Home Services Ad. This is a very good point, and it is something that we will discuss with our developer. Please keep the suggestions coming in...it is our way of making sure you are happy

   As for the Public Speaking Appearances, we are currently in talks with 2 different East Coast REIAs, a West Coast Real Estate Investing Group, A Real Estate Wealth Investing EXPO, a Canadian Real Estate Convention, and a few other parties. Some of the topics that will be discussed at these events (by yours, truly), are Rent to Own Homes, Real Estate Investing, analysis of deals, marketing yourself, finding deals, staying motivated, and staying focused. Please make sure you reserve me for your next event, since it appears that I will be quite busy the next few months with these venues.

Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !

September 17, 2010

Lucky Number 100 !

Good Morning,

   As you may be wondering about the odd title of this post, today we're celebrating our 100th Blog Post (Woo Hoo!). In looking back over the past 99 previous posts, we have listed our top 5 posts (based on traffic and votes), in descending order:

#1: "5 Tips For Buying a Second Home/Condo for Investment or Vacation"

#2: "Has the Housing Market Impacted Curb Appeal?"

#3: "Short Sales - What Do You Need to Know?"

#4: "Are Timeshares Truly Related to Real Estate Investing?"

#5: "Right Time to Buy? Top Real Estate Investing Markets"


CONTEST NEWS FLASH:


   We want to take the time and thank you for being loyal readers of our Blog, and we invite you to receive a hard copy (PDF) of some of our earlier posts ("oldies, but goodies").
   For the first 10 people who send an E-mail to homebuyer@lease2buy.com with the subject, "Lucky Number 100 Blog Contest", we will send you a copy of this via return mail.

   Did you send the mail yet? These contests close very quickly, so don't delay.

   We hope to post 100,000 more entries that will entice you, inspire you, and enlighten you.

Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !!

August 25, 2010

Homes Sales Fury, Plus Part 2 of Our Radio Interview

Hi Everyone,

   Let's immediately address the elephant in the room (or the cyber-room, if you prefer) - "Existing home sales drop 27 percent in July" and "Existing home sales dive to 15-year low". Yes, you read these on Yahoo News and all over the Web and on TV yesterday.

   I pose this question to you: We know that the expired homebuyer tax credit is the main culprit for these dreadful numbers. But let's say there was no tax credit in the first place (follow me here - I am not taking political sides)...what would have happened to the housing market? Is it really a guessing game.

   Now, just today, the headline, "New home sales hit slowest pace on record...Unexpected 12.4 percent drop is latest sign recovery fading". Where is all of this headed? Why did we stop the tax credit? We're in a deep enough hole already...at least people were starting to buy homes, build back some confidence, and get back on track. The key is, "confidence", which is psychologically vital to any economic recovery.

   OK, I can rant on and on about this, as well as the demise of "Cash for Clunkers", but the show must go on.

   As promised, I have included part 2 (final part) of the radio interview that we did on the "Unlock Your Wealth Radio Program" (hosted by Heather Wagenhals). As a reminder, this particular segment was about Rent to Own Homes, so please have a listen, and Enjoy !

Have a Great Day, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !

August 23, 2010

Our Radio Interview on Rent to Own Homes, Part 1 of 2

Good Morning Everyone,

   Glad to have you back here with us, and we hope you had a great weekend !

   Today, we'd like to present to you a Radio interview (MP3 attached) in which I was honored to participate in and provide some information from HomeRun Homes/Lease2Buy.com.

   The radio program is the "Unlock Your Wealth Radio Program" (hosted by Heather Wagenhals), and this particular segment was dedicated to Rent to Own Homes/Lease Purchase Homes. During the interview, we covered different areas and markets around the country, as well as some of the mechanics of the Rent to Own process.

   Since the entire interview spans close to half an hour, we have split it into two parts, and attached Part 1 of 2, with Part 2 coming on Wednesday. Enjoy !

Have a Great Day, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !!

August 17, 2010

To Buy at Your Best, Get Creative (Rent to Own)

Hi Folks,
   Just a quick "Hello", and to let you know that we were just quoted in a great article in a new American Express Magazine ("Currency"):

The following excerpts are from this new article:

"Markets known for rich foreclosure shopping are also ripe for those willing to rent before they buy, says Rob Eisenstein, president of rent-to-own marketplace operator HomeRun Homes..."

"It's a great strategy for potential buyers with less-than-perfect credit or insufficient savings, Eisenstein says: While you navigate the lease period, you can build credit and equity at the same time"

Additionally, we were quoted as calling rent-to-own agreements, "creative real-estate at its finest."

   Head on over to their website (located at http://getcurrency.com/article/to-buy-at-your-best-get-creative) to read the full story

Have a Great Evening, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !

August 16, 2010

New Widget with Scrolling Ads from our Site

Good Morning Everyone,


   We hope you have all had a great weekend.

   OK, so once again, we are referring to that "Magical Blog Post", where we asked for your input, and you gave it to us. Over the past few Blog posts, we have already addressed The Top Real Estate Investing Markets, What You Need to Know in Real Estate Investing, The Top 5 Things NOT TO DO When Selling a Home, and What You Need to Know when Buying a Foreclosure.

   Today, we are giving you access to a Free "Widget", which is a piece of code that you can add to your website or Blog, and it will continuously scroll with the latest Buyer and Seller Ads from our website (See Below). The Widget and the Code are shown below as follows:




WIDGET CODE:


   Once the code is inserted into your Web Page or Blog, it will look something like the image on top of this Blog Post.

   If you have any questions on how to use the code or any additional questions, please let us know via commenting on this post.

   Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !


July 26, 2010

Homeowners who Built their Own Home, Part 3 of 3

Good Morning,


   Welcome back. Hope your weekend went well. Aside from some painfully stifling humidity here in the Northeast and some massive storms, it was nice to get together with some family (and to take shelter when the storms hit !)

   Today, we will be completing the final installment on our series on the Home-building process, and we will be hearing from some people who have gone through the process of building their own home. This will provide some valuable insight and tips from people who have already gone through the process, from start to finish.

   We spoke with a couple of homeowners who built their own home. One of the people that we spoke with and who built her own home in Washington State is K.S.Brooks, who is also an author, and we also spoke with Richard Keycon, who built his own home in East Central Alabama.

   Brooks suggests getting to know all of the "local building permit requirements before you buy your parcel and start your project.", as counties usually have different requirements, and that it is important to know the Building Department Inspectors and Coordinators.

   Keycon adds that once you identify the area, you need to find a land agent, and drive around to see every part of the property. They were looking for a very specific parcel, with about "20-30 acres, not many neighbors, a creek, maybe a pond or pond site, and a good building site." Once they settled on the property and purchased it, they asked their land agent and some locals to recommend a builder. Once they selected the builder, they agreed on the building fee, and moved forward from that point.

   The entire process involves a lot of work, as Brooks states, and she says that you should, "Be prepared to be at the house every day either working on or managing the project." and to "take responsibility" for it. She also said to never use the response, "whatever you think is best" when the builder ask you to make choices.

   Both Brooks and Keycon both agree that you need to do your research and comparison shop well in advance, since some items require lead-time for delivery, i.e appliances, counter tops, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, windows, doors, etc.

   As far as environmental impact, Brooks summarizes it as, "Lean towards green, but don't be over-zealous.", and gives us this specific example, "We explored installing a Geo-thermal heating/cooling system for our SIP (structural insulated panel) home. Because SIPs are air tight and incredibly efficient, and with the low cost of hydro-powered electricity in Eastern Washington, it would have taken us 20 years to reap a return-on-investment for Geo-thermal. Instead, we went with a high-efficiency wood burning fireplace, with standard HVAC as a back-up. The result: our 1700 square foot 100% electrically-run house is generating electric bills under $60 per month."

   In closing, Brooks states that it is vital to make lists for everything (parcel, vendors, materials, etc.), and Keycon agrees and says that planning is key and that when searching for a builder, to remember that, "All builders are not created equal".

   We definitely hope that this series has been helpful to you in one or many ways. Remember that there are many builders who build homes and will then Rent them with an Option to Buy (Rent to Own Homes), so it requires a little bit of homework on your end to find these builders.

   If you have any question, we area always available to respond to them. We will be back to our regular Blog posts on Wednesday, since we have a lot of interesting information and topics to cover.

Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !

July 16, 2010

Passed Website Security PCI DSS Compliancy

Good Morning Everyone,


There has been a huge sweeping reform of the credit card industry, and along with it, there have been new rules implemented regarding the security measures that are taken by websites to ensure full security and protection of data that is entered on these websites. For quite some time, the focus has been on the large multi-national corporations, however, the focus has now turned to all websites, including HomeRun Homes/Lease2Buy.com. In May, We were notified about this by our merchant account provider (the company that processes credit card transactions for Ads that are placed on our website), and we were provided a mandated deadline of July 31, 2010.

The full details of this "PCI DSS" mandate, are outlined at https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/security_standards/pci_dss.shtml, which summarizes them as, "...a multifaceted security standard that includes requirements for security management, policies, procedures, network architecture, software design and other critical protective measures. This comprehensive standard is intended to help organizations proactively protect customer account data. "

Well, way back in College, I took Calculus, Advanced Calculus, Integral Calculus, Statistics, and multiple Finance and Economics courses, and this PCI DSS compliance process has truly made those topics seem like cotton candy and fluffy clouds ! What a difficult and stringent procedure ! There was a 200 question exam-type format that we needed to pass, along with a highly-intrusive scan of our website for vulnerabilities and hacker entry points. We can tell you that there were a few minor issues, and nothing that had or would have jeopardized data. My point is that they wanted a fully clean slate, so concurrently, we took advantage of the timing and we transparently moved our site to an even beefier server platform (for all of those techies like myself, it is a load balanced environment to provide stability and redundancy). Thus, more security and a quicker website for our visitors.

The end result?

We have PASSED both the behemoth exam along with our intense website security scan, so, as per Trustwave (www.trustwave.com), the absolute leader in the field of website security, we are now proud to say that we are 100% PCI DSS Compliant (CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR COMPLIANCE CERTIFICATE). We have spoken with many of our peers, and they feel as if they will not make the deadline, and therefore, they risk being discontinued by their credit card merchant account, thus, rendering them basically "out of business".

We are glad that we have passed and that we are recognized as fully compliant with all website and data security regulations, and we will continue to be your centralized marketplace for Rent to Own Homes, whether you are a buyer or a seller!


Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !!
 

July 12, 2010

Common Misconception: Realtors ARE Welcome !

Hi Everyone,

   We hope you had a great weekend, and welcome back.

   Today, we would like to address a very common misconception, and we would like to clarify this for all of those who have asked us about this. We receive countless E-mails from Realtors, real estate agents, real estate brokers, etc, with some wonderful comments about our website, but telling us that since they are Realtors, they cannot use our website. This is a huge misunderstanding on the part of these individuals and companies, and we would like to discuss this today, since this one fact is holding them back from finding buyers for their homes for sale (or homes for Rent to Own), and simultaneously, is taking away from extra responses that buyers on our website can have presented to them.

   We would like to put this right out into the open to all people in the Real Estate industry; We are not your competitors - we are your friends and your resource.

   We are here for buyers, sellers, investors, Realtors, and anyone who is selling a Rent to Own Home, Buying a Rent to Own Home, or is offering home-related services (appraisers, attorneys, Realtors, mortgage brokers, etc). I will admit that when we first started, we did rant against Realtors, basically, it was a "silly rookie mistake", and we realized that we are all here for one purpose - to help people buy or sell homes. So for our tiny mistake back about 8 years ago, we take full responsibility and we apologize.

   Now, we know that not all of your clients want to Rent to Own. Some of them would like to sell outright, and if they can, fantastic. However, should their listing sit dormant on the MLS and be in jeopardy of becoming an expired listing, this mean that the homeowner is not able to get out from under their payments, and a Rent to Own might be the solution to their problem. So, that is where we come in - and we reiterate - we are not your competition. Of course, we ask that you not contact any homeowners on our website and ask them to list with you as that would be a violation of the terms of our website (and of course, just plain unethical), but, if you are contacting them about buyers that you have, then by all means, make the connection with the homeowner, and identify yourself and your intentions.

   Occasionally, we receive E-mails from people asking if we send them listings, however, we have clearly defined in our terms and in our "About Us" section (http://www.lease2buy.com/rent-to-own-homes.php), namely, "We do not "send" you listings: All of the listings of Rent to Own homes, Rent to Own buyers, and home service providers are all listed on our website, and you can browse them for FREE !".

   So, to summarize, where the MLS is a listing of homes for sale, HomeRun Homes (Lease2Buy.com) is a listing of homes available for Rent to Own, homes wanted by Rent to Own, and Home Services available for homeowners and prospective homebuyers. This puts us in a unique position within our niche of the Real Estate Market, and not as a competitor with the MLS and Realtors.

   Hopefully, we have been able to answer your questions about who we are and why we can work together. Your focus is on transactions, listings, and deals, and our focus is on being a central meeting place for Rent to Own buyers and sellers, but we both share a common ground in providing customer service and helping people. Realtors definitely help people, and we would like to think we do, as well.

   Have a Great Week and Happy Rent-to-Owning !!!




July 9, 2010

Neighbors, Community, Charity, and Giving...

Hi Everyone,

   A Happy Friday to everyone out there. We had some great feedback regarding our Blog entry from Wednesday, titled, "4 Tips on Pet Friendly Housing", and we are glad that these tips were helpful. We are always available to answer any questions that you have via the comments section on our Blog.

   I would like to officially deem this weekend as, "Good Neighbor Weekend", and here are a few things that I suggest on this 2-day romp of "giving and caring".

   First: Make it a point to have a friendly discussion with one of your neighbors at least once this weekend. If he or she is outside, then stop your car and have a chat with them. Ask them how things are, how their family is, and how their work is going. This might seem elementary to some people, however, there are some who just cannot find time to do these things (I'm guilty as charged !). If you live in an apartment, visit a neighbor down the hall. It's all about interaction with people who share a common theme with you - location.

   Second: Get involved in your community. Now that the warm weather is here, many towns have weekend clean-up days. get involved in one of these. If you have kids, make sure you bring your kids along as well. It's important for them to see their parents pitching in. It sets a great example for them, helps keep your town clean, and strengthens your sense of community.

   Finally: Charity. This is a tough one nowadays, since most can barely find money to buy food and pay for basic essentials. But remember, it does not have to be money that you donate; you can donate non-perishable food (cans), old clothing, and other items. You can just ring a local religious organization, a non-profit charity, or you can even drop some items off in those large containers that are stationed in some shopping center parking lots (most are put there by the Salvation Army).

   The benefits to your neighbors, your community, and people in need are obvious. What's more, the feeling of "doing good" will carry over into your every day life and will shed some light on you. It's really amazing.

Try it out this weekend and let me know how it went.

Have a Great Weekend, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !

July 5, 2010

E-book, Rent to own Secrets, and Barbecue...

Hi Everyone,

We just wanted to do a quick check-in with everyone and wish you a peaceful and relaxing day, if you are off today.

It will be a quiet week in terms of Economic and Housing indicators, but we will be buzzing on the HomeRun Homes campus with some new Social Media initiatives we have coming up this week. Also, coming up in the short term will be another wonderful utility to help you catch the latest Rent to Own Homes and Rent to Own Buyers as soon as they hit our website.

Additionally, we are very honored to have our E-book, "Secrets of Rent to Own", listed on the super directory of E-Books (E-Library.net), with the full link to our book directory listing as http://e-library.net/Secrets-Of-Rent-to-Own__ebooks22707.htm

OK, we will let everyone get back to their family, barbecue, and festivities.


Have a Great Day, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !

July 2, 2010

5 Tips for Selling a For Sale By Owner (FSBO)


Hi Everyone,

Today, I'd like to discuss 5 very important tips for anyone trying to sell their home on their own. This type of arrangement is often referred to as For Sale By Owner, or FSBO.

Tip #1: PRICING: In order to determine a fair selling price for your home, you need to investigate home prices in your area. You'll want to review not only the prices that homes are listed for, but what they have sold for as well. Your best resource for this information will be your local newspapers. You can even take a trip down to your local government office to check out more details from the mortgages that have been obtained by new homeowners in your area and saved ("recorded"). These documents are public domain, and it takes a little time to get the gist and flow of how to do this research, however, there are usually plenty of clerks available to take your questions. Some other ideas: talk with real estate agents in your area, and check around for appraisers in your own network of family and friends. If you can connect with an appraiser, you can ask them for a general rule of thumb for pricing on your home, and perhaps they can make a few suggestions to increase the value. Finally, you can always shell out a few hundred bucks for an actual appraisal of your home, but most often that will not be required.

TIP #2: LEGALITY: Whenever you are talking about the sale of a big ticket item such as your home, it is always good advice to retain an attorney and/or consult with your local Title Company. To check if your state is a Title State or not, please refer to this handy resource: http://title.grabois.com/

TIP #3: MORTGAGE: I am a firm believer in lining up all of your "ducks" in advance. Before you get to the physical process, you'll want to consult with some mortgage brokers and banks to educate yourself on the financing side of selling your home. This goes both ways, in that, if you make a good contact with one of these individuals or institutions, you can always refer a potential buyer to them, since they would already be familiar with your situation from your previous discussions with them.

TIP #4: ADVERTISING: This is where you want to do your homework on creating your Ad. Check on the Web and in your local papers to see the most common Ad format. Once you have done your research, create an electronic copy of your Ad, perhaps in Microsoft Word. In addition, you will want to have high-quality images of your home, for the interior and the exterior. For the exterior photos, make sure you get a sunny day when you take the photos. Why? Would you be more excited about a photo of a potentially new home when the photo is framed by a grey, cloudy, and rainy day vs a bright, sunny day with blue skies? It's all psychological.

TIP #5: MARKETING: It's time to plaster your Ad everywhere - starting with the Internet. There are a lot of free sites - but with free sites sometimes comes the "time-wasters". The old adage, "You get what you pay for" certainly applies. In addition, there are forums, discussion boards, and many other places that will allow you to announce your home, of course, once you have passed the proper permission steps unique to each of those specific sites. Should you decide to also accept Rent to Own as an option to purchase your home, you can always place your "Home Available" Ad on our website, as a For Sale By Owner (FSBO), as well as a Rent to Own (Click Here to Sell Your Home).

So there you have it. Once you start receiving offers that are in your price range, this is where your attorney, title company, and ultimately, your mortgage broker, will come into play.

Have a great 4th of July Holiday, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !!

June 28, 2010

33% Drop in Sales? Where do we Stand?

Hi Everyone,

Welcome back. We hope that you stayed cool this past weekend, because at least for us here on the East Coast, the humidity has been searingly painful. However, there are people who adore this weather, which shows that we are all unique in our likes and dislikes.

We had a whirlwind week here last week, with some fantastic publicity regarding Rent to Own Homes, along with a lot of work we have been doing on the website infrastructure (including making the website resolve even quicker on your screen).

Looking back to last week, in retrospect, we saw some numbers come out that were a little bit of a shock. By now, most of you already heard that new home sales (new single family homes) plunged about 33 percent from April to May. The tax credit incentive for purchasing homes ended April 30th, so that is a major contributing factor, but are we really shaping up yet? Are the fundamentals of the economy that strong yet to tout a recovery? Yes, there are definitely some promising areas in the country in terms of economic and housing recovery, but there are a lot more regions that are in trouble. Is it that a lot of the incentives are not as far-reaching as anticipated? Or just that it will take more time? On that note, we can only assume that "time will tell", as the old cliche says.

Now, there are some more numbers coming out tomorrow (S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices), but these have a 2-month lag, so I really am interested in seeing their next release (the next one after this release). Let's all keep an eye on them together, as it effects each and every one of us.

Advice for the moment: Keep your focus on the Rent to Own Home that you are either looking to buy or looking to sell. Stay tuned to us for new information, announcements, and contests. We will try to be your liaison and will try to provide you with updates whenever we have them.


Have a great week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !!

June 25, 2010

Rent-to-Own Transactions Move into Mainstream

Hi Everyone,

Hope you are all having a great week. We are extremely pleased to share with you an article that was done on Rent to Own by a major, authoritative website, American-apartment-owners-association.org.

The article, titled, "Rent-to-Own Transactions Move into Mainstream" (http://www.american-apartment-owners-association.org/blog/2010/06/24/rent-to-own-transactions-move-into-mainstream/), provides HomeRun Homes some fantastic publicity, and it describes HomeRun Homes as, "a highly-ranked online classifieds service matching properties to buyers/tenants".

Within the context of the article, they quoted me when I discussed some of the best markets for Rent to Own (also called Lease Options or Lease Purchase), as Atlanta, Central Florida, North Carolina, California and Chicago, because, "...of the severe decline in home prices in those areas, coupled with a rough economy that poses credit hardships on many buyers".

I was also quoted as saying, "Rent-to-own gives investors a creative option when dealing with slow-moving or distressed properties", and, “At least you know you have someone in the property who wants to be there."

Kudos to that great website for spreading the word about Rent to Own Homes.

We will be checking back in with you on the housing numbers of this week gone-by.

Have a Great Day, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !

June 23, 2010

Our 8th Anniversary in the Rent to Own Homes Market...


Hi All,

Happy Wednesday to all of you. We wanted to let everyone have a copy of our Press Release that just hit the wires today (FULL RELEASE HERE). It's been a tough road for us with a lot of ups and downs, but we love what we do and we love hearing great news from customers who bought or sold Rent to Own Homes by using our website.

We will continue to provide the best service and the best Web experience for you. Our belief is that you either give 110%, or you stop altogether. Well, we choose to give 150% !

OK, Enough of my blabbering - here is the full text of the Press Release:

For Immediate Release:

HomeRun Homes
(631) 676-3609
(631) 574-2420
homebuyer@lease2buy.com
http://www.lease2buy.com/

Top Website for Rent to Own Homes Celebrates 8th Anniversary

Ronkonkoma, New York, June 23, 2010 - HomeRun Homes (http://www.lease2buy.com/) is celebrating their 8th anniversary this month. The Company has continued to be an omnipresent force in the Rent to Own Homes niche of the Real Estate market, and continues to thrive in a field that has seen a majority of their competition dissipate.

Another Milestone for One of the Original Rent to Own Websites

The management team of HomeRun Homes\Lease2Buy.com commenced web operations in June 2002, after working on a series of Real Estate rehab deals in Orlando and Central Florida. The President of the Company, Robert Eisenstein, states that during that time, they found it difficult to locate people who would be interested in Renting to Own the properties that they had rehabbed, and he says that, "We realized that something had been missing - a central location where sellers could find buyers for their Rent to Own homes, and where buyers could ask for exactly what they needed in a Rent to Own home". He goes on to say that, "HomeRun Homes was born from this concept."

Acquisitions, Ventures, Web Traffic, and Global Reach

Today, Lease2Buy.com attracts a vast amount of web visitors, and has in excess of 1.2 Million hits. During their tenure, they have made one acquisition, which was a purchase of Equifree.com, a Stop Foreclosure website, and they have spun off an additional website, StopForeclosureRenttoOwn.com, which reaches out to those in the most urgent need of buying or selling a home. Continuing their tradition of helping people find what they need, they also offer a free Rent to Own Newsletter via download on their website, and also provide a very useful Blog (http://blogging.lease2buy.com/).

HomeRun Homes appears in many publications, such as Financial Advisor Magazine, Wallet Pop, and many others, as well as reviews on multiple Blog Sites. Their reach extends to the global real estate market, with their top 5 markets listed as the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK, and the Philippines. In his 8 year Anniversary meeting, Eisenstein states that the company plans to make a stronger global reach a top priority, since there are "many people in many countries who are stranded, and don't even realize that Rent to Own could be a resolution to any housing problems that they may be facing, as either a buyer or as a seller."

For additional information on the topic, "Top Website for Rent to Own Homes Celebrates 8th Anniversary", please visit http://www.lease2buy.com/

ABOUT HOMERUN HOMES

HomeRun Homes is a Centralized Marketplace which helps people Buy or Sell a Rent to Own Home, a Commercial Property, or to offer Home Services nationwide and globally to the thriving Rent to Own market.

- END -


We will check in with you to discuss the latest housing numbers when we have had a chance to take a good review of them.

Have a Great Week, and Happy Rent-to-Owning !