Land Contract Hide Required Fields For Free

The advantages of a land contract to the buyer are that it provides an ownership interest in the real estate, which helps to quickly build equity in the property and good credit history. A major disadvantage is that the buyer is almost always responsible for structural and mechanical repairs to the house.

A big disadvantage for sellers who participate in a land contract is that they have to wait for the buyer to pay off the home over a certain number of years.A balloon payment might be included so that a buyer has to pay off the balance within a shorter amount of time.

This means there is an expiration date on the contract that says the buyer needs to pay it in full within a certain number of years (usually 5 years or less). At the time when the balloon payment is due, the buyer (you) will need to pay the remaining balance of the land contract.

Land contract cons.Higher interest rates Since the seller is taking most of the risk, they may insist on a higher interest rate than a traditional mortgage. Ownership is unclear The seller retains the property title until the land contract is paid in full.

A closing IS performed, and real estate professionals are paid, if any are involved. They are NOT paid at the expiration/maturity of the land contract, that is, when the buyers payoff the land contract. 3. The land contract IS then recorded at the county clerk's office to make it official record.

If the buyer defaults on the land contract, or fails to make the monthly payments to the seller as required, the seller can file a court action called land contract forfeiture.In other words, if the buyer fails to pay, the seller keeps all money received, plus the seller keeps the real estate.

If the buyer has not made all the payments and defaults on the land contract, the seller may be able to file a "land contract forfeiture" in court. Depending on the ruling, the seller may be able to keep all the money already paid to him as well as retaining the rights to the property.