I am interested in how the same concept works in the US in the hope that I may be able to able your skills and knowledge to my business in the UK.

Seller financing for the buyer means no bank qualifying and easy availability to purchase.

The seasoning period--that is, the amount of time that must pass before a person can qualify for a new loan--is two years for short sale vs. five years for foreclosure.

You'll have to actually qualify for the remaining part based on other income.Once upon a time, lenders used a front end ratio (PITI payment divided by gross income) and back end ratio (PITI plus all other debt payments) to determine if they would give you a loan. 28% and 38% were the upper bounds.

About a year ago we had a lead source in Mass and about 9/10 apps we took could not qualify for a mortgage due to negative equity mostly.

You can however qualify for some pretty cool incentives through the government, but I think the red tape would be a lot of work.

Do you have the skills to do the rehab or will you have to hire someone?

Making Sure The Seller Shows Up At Closing Some where down the road you'll exercise your option to buy, either when you can qualify for a new loan or when you resell the property.

Is the amount time a tenant has been living in a NOO property considered when using rental income to qualify for a loan?

To also clarify, if you purchased an investment property using a LLC (S corp or Corp not included) with loan note and title in the LLC name you can qualify for a refinance by showing continuity that you are a member of the LLC.