Using Rent to Own as an Option

I don't see the value in this for a buyer if the seller is still asking the kind of delusional prices that most are still asking. In other words,if an apartment is overpriced then it doesn't really benefit the buyer because the purchase price will likely be over the market price for the duration of the lease. If the seller is pricing to really sell, then why would the seller offer this? It's basically an option that someone has to pay for or incur the cost of.

If this was offered by the developer in a building with potential problems I would wonder about enforceability in case the project goes bankrupt, but I don't know the legalities of that.

Yes it seems like spam- but also Lease to Option- not a bad way to go if you are trying to move a property or at the least stop the bleeding. I'm looking for a lease option for myself personally b/c with current market constrictions on lending mortgage approval seems unattainable. On the business end, I own properties -albeit not in NYC but that I have been trying to sell for about two years. I have even offered lease to buy options, but the RE agents aren't that interested in pushing this as they beleive their fee will be negatively impacted. I say a sale is a sale is a sale-whenever it hits.

not sure of the legal possibilities but i think this type of thing, like almost everything today, needs to be more tailored to the times. i have looked for some rent-to-own properties - and for the second time today i agree with jim - and i don't see the lure for the buyer. why agree on a price today in a falling market? i think this can work if sellers are willing to take a percentage of the rent and apply it to a buy option on a market price set at the end of the lease. this is something they may not want to do but after sitting unsold on the market for 6 months to a year they may wish they had.