Stop Home Repossession by Selling, Renting Back and Buying Back

The economic instability and uncertainty the world is living in right now can dangerously blur people’s ability to see things in a clear and rational way. In these troubled times people tend to focus on the problem and feel hopelessly trapped rather than focusing on a solution to get themselves out of the problem.

A classic example of being able to focus in the correct way is when a person is training to be a racing driver. The first thing they are taught is, ‘if you ever lose control of the vehicle, don’t focus on any walls or trees, just focus on the empty space’. The reason is very simple. Focussing on the problem – the wall or tree – will inevitably cause the driver to hit it.

Procrastination is the greatest enemy to people in times where quick decisions need to be made. This is especially true for homeowners with financial problems who are trying to hold back the bitter flavour of repossession from knocking on their doors. Most struggling homeowners pass up an opportunity which will help them simply because they believe a better solution will turn up later. Unfortunately for them, this very rarely happens and what can be even harder to swallow is that in the time it has taken them looking for a better solution, the original one is no longer available.

Focussing on finding a solution is imperative in times of crisis. Taking action must be decisive in order to stop repossession and gain control over the situation. There are numerous property companies which offer a very good solution for people to avoid losing their home and this is known as ‘Sell, Rent and Buy Back’. The idea of this scheme is to offer the homeowners an alternative exit rather than repossession or bankruptcy.

The concept of this scheme is very simple. The house is purchased at a trade price and then rented back to the previous owners at the local market rent. In addition to renting the property back there is also the option to buy it back in the future at a pre-agreed price. Some concerns can arise such as does this scheme really offer the security to the homeowner over the long term?

The Sell and Rent Back scheme is relatively new to the property market and like everything new and unknown there is always a fear factor associated with it. It is very important to think about each individual situation and make the right choice at the time.

A very famous example of the fear factor of the new and unknown is the statement made by Ken Olson founder of Digital Equipment Corporation in 1977: “There is no reason why anyone would want a computer in their homes”.

A combination of current events such as: the ghost of recession haunting the UK, house prices falling faster than the last recession in the early ‘90’s and the banks being overly cautious about lending makes the act of selling a house on the open market an heroic attempt worthy of a prize.

According to the Council of Mortgage Lenders over 120 houses will be repossessed in the U.K each day in 2008. The Sell and Rent Back scheme is contributing to decrease these rising numbers with the extra advantage of the Buy Back Agreement. It allows the homeowner to buy the house back when the crisis is finished and they are back on their financial feet.

Entering the Sell and Rent Back Scheme enables the homeowner to stop repossession immediately even if a court order has already been received. However, it is not wise to wait until the very last minute when a court date is looming. This will generally cause more stress and unnecessary heartache which can easily be avoided. Waiting until the last minute to speak to someone about the sell and rent back scheme usually puts the homeowner in an even tougher situation as there is less room for negotiation due to time constraints.

Bear in mind that the best time to start looking into this scheme and possible solution is at the first signs of a financial struggle. Knowing that there will be serious trouble ahead if nothing is done to prevent it will give the homeowner more time to research the companies that are operating the Sell, Rent Back and Buy Back option.

Some very clear signs leading to a financial struggle which has a direct path to repossession are credit card debts, unsecured loans and expenditure larger than income.

For more information on the scheme please visit http://www.beeseproperties.com