First of all, Happy Easter everyone! The Christian Easter holiday may have been set at this time of year to celebrate new life! That certainly is appropriate this week in the Fraser Valley, as the sun and warmth are bursting open the spring buds all around us. What a special time of year! Let’s enjoy it while we can! (I’m told some Edmonton folks, buried under mountains of snow, actually flew out here this week to catch some sun and a bit of golf. Imagine, coming to the Fraser Valley in March to get sun, but they sure hit it right! Now if only we could find a few more palm trees . . .)
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“So, do you have any properties in _____?”
I get asked that question a lot. I always have to respond that, unfortunately, we do not have any properties in _____; in fact, we do not have any properties anywhere. But then I get to explain that we are a“client-first” rent to own program, and how that works.
The name is deliberate, signifying a number of things. It signifies the process: we do not start with properties; we start with people. People who are tired of renting, of throwing away their hard-earned dollars every month and not getting ahead. People who would love the pride and opportunity to be homeowners. People who can afford a mortgage but can’t yet qualify for one.
It also signifies our concern to put people, not dollars, first. When we say we are a “program,” it’s not just a cute way of stating it; it really is true. We work with the client to create a total package that will get them to mortgage eligibility within two or three years. That includes a savings component, a credit coaching component and job monitoring throughout the term.
The model was developed in Canada, and aimed specifically to address the fact that in “property-first” rent 2 own (the kind you hear about in American-styled late night TV infomercials), too often there was not a successful outcome. Too often, the client ended up having to walk away from the home they were hoping to own at the end of the term. It was not a win-win proposition. No one was happy!
But, it also signifies the third crucial component of a model designed to produce win-win outcomes. Once we approve you, the deserving client, you get to choose your own property. You are not stuck with a limited choice among properties we are trying to get rid of.
Think of it: Which property will give you more pride of occupancy, the one that you moved into simply because it was available or the home you personally chose from among all of those on the market. Which one will you take more “ownership” of? Which one will be hardest to walk away from? Which one will make you more committed to doing “whatever it takes” to meet mortgage qualifying standards by the end of the term?
That’s why, at Fraser Valley Rent 2 Own, you get to choose your own home.
