Have you tried to buy a home lately? Holy Cow! Have you tried to rent a home? The prices, would you like my first born as well? I’m so thankful for my own set up but have empathy for my kids and those facing this challenge currently. As a builder and home renovator houses and real estate are a daily thought for me. I’m also the co-owner of a property maintenance company that repairs and renovates rental properties. So I’ve got roots in various aspects of the housing market. I say all that to establish my inspiration for this post. The housing and rental market are doing things I’ve never seen before and I was a realtor and property manager in 2008. But that’s not to say you can’t fulfill your goals whether that’s renting or buying. After seeing my own children struggle in this economy and remembering my own path to homeowner ship wasn’t traditional, I thought I would share creative out of the box ways to get in a home.

1. Rent to own. The first house I ever owned was not a traditional situation. I was a tenant that had a lovely realtor whom we created a contract and we rent to own for a few years then had to do a cashout refinance to buy her out within that time frame. It was an interesting situation because we lived in the house for so many years the lender said that meant we were emotionally invested and less likely to default. There are lots of people who have homes for various reasons that don’t want or know how to manage them. Find someone like that and craft your own deal. Just remember to be very detailed and have a lawyer draw up the contract.

2. Auctions: I don’t know a lot about this but there are tons of properties that are sold at courthouse auctions or through online auctions where they are trying to get rid of them quickly. These types of places are usually sold AS IS Where Is which means what you buy is what you get. They are also usually cash buys so if you have some funds and a knack for renovations this might be a good option to consider.

3. Shouting it to the rooftops: Whatever you are looking for I say talk about it all the time. Go to open houses, call real estate offices and ask, if it’s not available leave your information and then call back to check again. Post about it on social media and keep posting about it. The fact is we are all so busy and always have an influx of information. People will forget, but not if you keep reminding them.

4. House Sitting: There are people in the world who have to leave their homes for long periods of time. Whether for work, religious reasons, or personal and don’t want to box their whole home up and also don’t want to have to rent it out to long term tenants or to Airbnb. An alternative is having caretakers or house sitters. This is a concept that’s been around for years. Maybe you need time to save up for a down payment and your great aunt is retiring and going on a 6 month mission to Brazil. Win-win you save money and learn about home ownership and what you are looking for in your future home and her home is left in the care of someone they can trust.

5. RV’s and Campers: I don’t know if you’ve pieced this together but living in a van down by the river isn’t the put down it was 10 years ago. It’s the goal for some people. After buying my own camper and using it for leisure and having so many homeowners I build homes for live in their rig while it’s being built, I see the value in these alternative long term dwellings. Have you seen some of these campers? They have a lot of pros and I’m sure some cons but that is another post. There are tons of blogs and social media platforms to guide you if this is an option you want to try.

Some final thoughts that I have on housing. Your life will change significantly, and your needs will as well, from the people living with you to the pets. Define what your needs are NOW and then couple that with your resources. Whatever that looks like is fine. It’s all about taking care of your needs. And really at the end of the day this body and this life is temporary all we really take with us is the sum of our experiences. So do what takes care of you and yours and makes you the happiest.