. - @Curt Davis  made a good distinction and we do operate both ways, as turnkey providers and as a referral network.

@Brian Gibbons , We do not have Dodd-Frank here in Canada, but there are other considerations.I'm not a fan of the term Rent-to-Own as I find it misleading as it blurs the distinction between an option to purchase and an instalment sale.  

I am also aware that there are active and non-active distinctions and would like to know which I would need for my purposes.Thank you so much for your help

rough neighborhoods have distinct challenges.. and if your just starting out and have no expreince I personally would not recommend it..

I think that distinction is important, a licensed mortgage broker may not really know more than you since to get a license you just need to pass a test.

I agree with Will's definitions, but I also will agree with Jon that the terms are sometimes used interchangeably by those who aren't aware of the distinctions that Will has mentioned.

I didn't fully understand why it seems like you are making a distinction between the "regular investor buyer" or the "owner occupants".

The distinction between the two is made by examining the lowest course of block - right at the floor level.

Joel is completely correct in his distinctions between cash for keys and a deed in lieu.

From this thread I gather than @Nicholas Quinn has done this several times, but only with his wife, and that may be a special case.If I understood correctly, @Dion DePaoli says you can sign the mortgage but not the note or the loan application, which is a distinction I was not aware of.