"Leasing to own made sense, once I learned more about it," Dr. "S" shared. "I have to admit, when I stumbled upon the idea, I thought it was for people with bad credit and little money. I kind of associated it with renting to own a TV or sofa."

For Dr. "S," once he realized the benefits of leasing to own a home and associating leasing to own a home with leasing, he seized the opportunity.

"Clearly, leasing to own benefits me, and I wonder how many other professionals in a situation similar to mine are aware of this buying secret or realize just how much they can benefit from leasing to own," added Dr. "S."

"First, I picked out my new home based on what I can afford. Since I didn't have much of a credit file, I now have time to add and season trade lines. Trying to buy a home in my situation…more [school] debt than income, I didn't have much chance of buying unless my parents co-signed for me. That was an option, but I didn't want to do that. This way, I didn't have to come up with much of a down payment, I have a mortgage specialist there to work with me & I can afford this home," he stated.

As Dr. "S" iterated, overcoming the stigma of "leasing to own" (and all comparable terms including rent-to-own, lease-option, lease-purchase, lease with an option to purchase) is a challenge for some professionals once they discover this buying strategy.

Dr. "S" listed the benefits he received by leasing to own:

**He picked the home he wanted & could afford.
**His method of purchase remains anonymous - his neighbors do not know how he "purchased" his home. For all intents & purposes, he is the "owner" of his home.
**He did not need to bank qualify.
**He did not need to come up with a big down payment & closing costs.
**He gets time to season his newly added tradelines (accounts).
**He didn't have to rent.
**He has a veteran mortgage specialist working on his behalf.

Dr. "S" represents one type of professional, who takes advantage of leasing to own as he "seasons" his credit and income.

Financially secure "boomers" with great credit, as well as many others wanting a second home, also are choosing to lease to own instead of buying the conventional way. Why?

As Dr. "S" has pointed out, leasing to own allows him and other buyers unique benefits including the ability to "try out" their new homes and neighborhoods.

"What did I have to lose?" Dr. "S" points out. "I have a beautiful home in a professional community. I have very little of my money invested. We negotiated a great price. I have solid paperwork. And when my home appreciates in value, I'll have equity instead of rent receipts. No doubt, this is a great opportunity for me."

Dr. "S" correctly points out the need to choose carefully the real estate professionals with whom you choose to work and to have your real estate attorney review the all paperwork.

Before you buy your new home the "traditional" way, take a moment to consider whether this "secret" buying strategy saves your credit, your sanity & your money.