1.how exactly does lease to own work? Is the rent that’s paid every month applied to and treated like a mortgage? Or is the monthly rent used as the down payment for the renter to use to get a mortgage?

2. How does buying a foreclosed or tax seized house work exactly? Are they sold at much lower price?

3. What is the easiest way for a person to be able to buy their first home? I’m really sick of renting and dealing with having to worry about having a lease not get renewed or having a nightmare landlord like my current one. And I’m really tired of throwing away money every month to either pay someone else’s mortgage, helping their credit and building equity and value for them, or giving it to someone who is already wealthy to some degree. Even if not super rich, if a person owns something out right and is just collecting money to hoard, they would have to be at least comfortably well off. It just seems like a total waste of money to keep paying rent and never having anything to show for it while also having to deal with the spectrum of landlords and issues that can arise.
plus, finding a rental is going to be much harder in the next few years because of landlords trying to get back at people for the moratoriums and other protections. I’ve already had issues when looking before we moved into this house because I have two evictions that weren’t even completed; they were dismissed before we ever got to court but they’re still grounds for denial for some reason. I’m tired of having to explain myself to strangers, paying them to apply when they say they might give it a chance, then getting denied anyway. I’m also not willing to give up our dog.
how hard is it going to be for me to find anything? Here’s what the situation with us will look like ok about six months when I would be planning to look:

1. I’m 35. In six months I’ll be working full time as an emt basic. From what I gather from talking to Emt’s and looking on the job postings, I can expect to be making $42000-$45000 the first year (13 an hour, 60 hour work weeks. 13x40, and 20 hours of overtime at 19.5 per hour). My husband will be driving for Uber and favor and DoorDash and likely bringing in—let’s say $20000 per year.

2. My credit score has gone up 100 points in the last six months. His has gone up 70. I finally got approved for my first unsecured card and have two secured cards that I use twice a month and pay off. I’ll have a small car note by the time I’m looking forward to. The last negative item on my credit report will fall off in October which should bring my TransUnion score up to 700.
currently I’m 608 TransUnion, 710 Equifax, and 660 Experian. I expect to be over 700 in all there by October. Husband will be between 650 and 700 as well

3. I have two eviction filings that were not completed. Both were dismissed before court and I left not owing anything. There’s another eviction that I was never notified about from an apartment where I made a deal with the manager that she would let us out of the lease and not take action if we moved and I paid the full rent for the month we left midway though and the next month. Long story but basically the neighbors were so awful to us because of our work schedules and other things that we were essentially run off so she could let her friend move into our apartment. It was miserable. Anyway I held up my end of our deal but a few months ago I discovered that after we moved out she filed for eviction for nonpayment. I’m never got a notice of any kind so it was a default judgement. I’m looking at how to fight it now.
4. our current landlord is homophobic and unethical and is trying to evict us on false pretenses because he doesn’t want gay people in his properties (he’s Muslim). I’m fighting it and will almost certainly win—I’ve got a lawyer and I’m going to be suing him for discrimination and for not repairing the plumbing after the winter storm as well as for the unlawful eviction. Probably going to have some money from that as well.
5. husband has a 7 year old state jail felony for marijuana possession. It’s been 7 years and is his only time ever in trouble.
6. I potentially will have my parents as co-signers

I really want to find a nice cute older house in like spring branch or second ward or the medical center area. Preferably not those new townhomes or condos. A single family house. Really want to stay in second ward/magnolia park/Eastwood but I do love spring branch too.

Houston, Texas

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