Rent-to-own experiences / tips?

ask a tax advisor about that. As a landlord, you can fully depreciate the renovation, if self-occupied only to a small extent. The higher rent must be taxed. If you sell now, you can invest the money compared to the appreciation. What happens in case of need for care and higher costs. That and everything mentioned before is almost impossible to agree on somewhat legally secure with the notary. From experience, I think the parents do not want to sell the house and the children already make the notary appointment on the day of the funeral. Therefore rent at normal conditions with a right of first refusal

Here’s an update: I hope I can pick up a few more tips and considerations… The seller still wants a rent-to-own agreement, which could however lead to a purchase after 2-5 years. He wants the current property to be preserved and will have it renovated (we are even allowed to choose the materials to a certain extent). I think he wants to write off the renovation during that time. We are supposed to pay 100TE as security (i.e., the long-term “relationship”), which will, however, be credited towards the rent until the purchase. The renovated property has about 150 sqm (including attic extension) and has a plot of just under 900 sqm; it would be worth significantly more on the open market. Now the “drawback”: the seller wants to have an option to build on part of the land (possibly for the child – later on); it should be possible to build a small property on a corner of the plot (estimated max 80 sqm / about 200 sqm taken from the land). In return, he is reducing the price. So, what do you say? We are currently going round in circles :-)

well, what do you say?

I don't really have anything to contribute on the topic of rent-to-buy, but whenever I keep reading, "the seller wants this and that" and then on top of that this and that, I wouldn't put myself through it.. To me, it reads like the seller wants to stall you somehow and get as much as possible out of it.

Which many sellers would probably do in principle, but I wouldn't go along with it.

I have nothing to contribute on the topic of rent-to-own, but when I always read, "the seller wants this and that" and then additionally this and that, I wouldn't put myself through it.. To me, it reads as if the seller wants to stall you somehow and get as much out of it as possible. What many sellers would probably do in principle, but I wouldn't participate in.

Well, as described, the current owner is in a nursing home, his child has the power of attorney. None of them live here and want it to go to decent tenants/buyers. The option with the corner plot is only prospective. So that could only be built on after 10 years. And the whole thing is also delicate, but the price (pre-emptive price) is well below what it would otherwise cost in the location. In addition, the property is still undergoing extensive renovation. The plot (i.e., the entire one) has a value of about 500,000.

Nightingale, I hear you coming!

Be assured, potential heirs have nothing to give away. Ergo, there will be no (!) advantage for you to gain.

Rather, someone is trying to pull a fast one on you here.

What I have read so far: Kaffeefahrtprinzip.

How should we best approach the topic?

well, what do you say? We currently have a thought carousel

I would approach it by keeping distance, i.e. letting the carousel run by itself. The sales decision makers (heirs of still living owners) are not mature enough to realize that you cannot sell a cake and eat it yourself at the same time (Schrödinger’s Confectionery, *LOL*) – but that’s not how reality works. Your naive idea of a rent-to-own scheme would unfortunately be affected by the dilemma of either being shaky / uncertain or unfortunately also having tax effects; practically, you would feel the rents despite nominal non-inclusion in the price (purchase price / real estate transfer tax / notary fees). And on the other hand, the seller’s side does not seem to consider what disservice it is doing to itself (both parents and children). The owners are currently in a home (and I suspect your rent is supposed to finance their assisted living there) – but what if they change to the status of nursing home residents there? – then at a no longer freely selectable time it becomes relevant what they and their maintenance-obligated relatives “have on their feet,” as they say in Cologne. Already at a medium care level, only from district court director upwards is one still a self-payer without batting an eye – then it hits the substance and this comes under scrutiny. And then they would have been better off selling ten years ago. The desire that the house may stand there as a backdrop as long as the previous residents possibly still occasionally drive past is understandable – but it should not be carried out on the backs of the successors. That the seller’s side wants to repress their farewell (from the house and from the grandchild building plot reserve in the garden), I would not make that my problem if I were you. Do not wear out your family with the fact that other people hope to solve their problems at your expense with a supposed commercial Columbus egg. They need a psychologist – not you a tax advisor!