[Rick Lee]

I've seen some rent-to-own deals around here and they seem sort of like betting on future property values. The deals go something like you agree to a fixed price, sign a one or two year lease, part of your rent goes to down payment and then you do the deal when the lease ends. But if you signed onto a $300k sales price today and have to find financing for it in two years and the value has dropped, what do you do then? Sure, you walk. And it's no great loss that your down payment is gone, since you'd have had to pay rent to someone anyway. Just seems kinda risky in this environment.