Blog: Expert Tips on Purchasing a Home

When the Door Slammed Shut, We Knocked Until It Opened

Tamera Nielsen May 28, 2026

How Katie VanBuren — Single Mom, First-Time Lease-to-Own Client — Got Her Second Chance at Homeownership There’s a moment in every client journey that defines us. Not the easy wins, not the smooth closings — but the moments when the answer is no, and what we do next. For Katie VanBuren, that moment came hard and fast. And what happened after it is the kind of story we’ll be telling for years. She Found Her Home on the Very First Tour Katie came to us the way so many clients do — a little nervous, a little hopeful, and carrying the particular weight of someone who has been told by the system that she doesn’t quite fit. As a single

#1 Lease to Own Homeownership Pathway in the Triad Helped Leaha Plant Her Roots

Tamera Nielsen May 28, 2026

Leaha found us the way most of our clients do — through a lease to own search online — and when she booked her complimentary consultation for January 27th, she had something most home seekers don’t: room to breathe. Her lease didn’t end until May 31st. She wasn’t looking to rush. She was looking to get it right. We love that. A First-Time Buyer Who Knew Exactly What She Wanted Born and raised in Winston-Salem, Leaha was ready to put down roots in the Triad — specifically for her — Greensboro, Winston, Kernersville — and this time, in a home that was truly hers. An independent professional, she lives well below her means, intentionally. How refreshing. She had savings. She

Why Lease to Own Homeownership Is Becoming a Serious Housing Strategy in Raleigh and Greensboro

Tamera Nielsen May 26, 2026

For years, lease to own was often misunderstood. Some people heard the phrase and immediately thought of risk. Others assumed it was only for buyers who could not qualify for anything else. And many never realized that, when structured properly, lease to own homeownership can be a thoughtful, strategic path for capable buyers who are close to mortgage-ready but need time, flexibility, or a more realistic way to move forward. That misunderstanding is beginning to change. Across Raleigh, Greensboro, and throughout North Carolina, more buyers are asking a different question. Not, “Is there a perfect traditional path available to me right now?” but rather, “What is the smartest path that allows me to move toward homeownership without waiting indefinitely?” That

What Are the Risks of Lease to Own Homes? What Families Should Know Before They Sign

Tamera Nielsen May 19, 2026

We love this question. We genuinely do. Because when a family asks about the risks of lease to own homes before they sign anything, it tells us something important: they’re paying attention. They’re thinking carefully. And they deserve a straight, honest answer — not a glossy sales pitch. So here it is. Every housing decision involving contracts, payments, timelines, and a future purchase deserves careful review. Lease to own is no different. The families who ask hard questions before they sign are the ones who end up in the right program for the right reasons. The risks of lease to own are real — and they are almost always rooted in the same place: unclear terms, incomplete documentation, and questions

Does Lease to Own Work If I’m Relocating to a New City

Tamera Nielsen May 12, 2026

Let’s just say it plainly: relocating to a new city is a lot. You may be starting a new job, moving closer to family, stepping into a new chapter after a major life change, or simply chasing a better quality of life for the people you love most. And in the middle of all of that — the packing, the goodbyes, the logistics — someone expects you to make one of the biggest financial decisions of your life. A home. In a city you may barely know yet. That’s an enormous ask. And it’s exactly why so many relocating families find themselves wondering: is there a smarter way to do this? The answer, for many families, is yes. And that

Lease to Own vs. Renting: What Actually Changes?

Tamera Nielsen May 7, 2026

If you’re comparing lease to own versus renting right now, you’re asking a very practical, very reasonable question: What actually changes? After all, in both situations you’re making a monthly housing payment. You’re living in a home you don’t yet own. And from the outside, lease to own can look a lot like renting with a little extra paperwork. Renting gives you a place to live. A financially-sound lease to own program gives you a documented pathway to homeownership. What Renting Actually Gives You There’s nothing wrong with renting. For the right season of life, it’s a perfectly reasonable choice. A traditional rental gives you a place to live during a defined lease term — and that has value. But

What Happens If I Don’t Buy the Home in a Lease to Own Program?

Tamera Nielsen April 30, 2026

This is one of the best questions you can ask. And you should ask it before you sign anything Lease to Own Agreement. So many families are afraid to raise this question. They worry that asking “what if I don’t buy” makes them sound uncommitted, or that it might cause an advisor to pull the opportunity off the table. Others assume they’ll figure it out later. And some have heard old rent-to-own horror stories and quietly brace for the worst. But here’s what we believe at Burson Home Advisors: if an advisor can’t answer this question clearly and in writing, that’s your sign to walk away. Not from homeownership — from that program. A lease to own homeownership agreement that

Is Lease to Own a Good Idea If I Might Move in a Few Years?

Tamera Nielsen April 21, 2026

That is one of the most thoughtful questions a family can ask before stepping into a lease to own home — and the fact that you’re asking it tells us something important about you. You’re not just looking for a house. You’re looking for the right answer for your family. Lease to own is not automatically right just because you want a home. It has to fit your timeline, your goals, and the reality of your life right now. But here’s what most people don’t realize: the possibility of moving in a few years does not automatically rule it out. What matters far more is whether the agreement was designed with your real life in mind — from the very

What Happens at the End of a Lease to Own Term?

Tamera Nielsen April 14, 2026

This is one of the most common questions families ask when they begin exploring lease to own homeownership: What actually happens at the end of a lease to own term? It’s a smart question—because the answer matters. Too many people hear “lease to own” and assume every program works the same way. They don’t. Some programs have a one-year term. Some run three to five years. Others allow the resident to purchase at any point within a broader time frame. And in some cases, like Burson Home Advisors’ in-house lease to own program, the term is tailored to the family’s actual situation from the beginning—based on lifestyle, credit profile, debt-to-income ratios, purchasing power, and long-term homeownership goals. That’s why the

What Is the Difference Between Lease to Own and Rent to Own?

Tamera Nielsen April 7, 2026

If you’ve been researching ways to buy a home without jumping straight into a traditional mortgage, you’ve probably seen both of these phrases: lease to own and rent to own At first glance, they sound interchangeable. A lot of people use them that way. Even online articles and AI answers often blur the two together. But that’s part of the problem. Because when people hear “rent to own,” they often think of old stories about vague contracts, inflated promises, or deals that left families disappointed. Those stories are real—and they’ve created understandable skepticism. So what’s the difference? The clear answer is this: Sometimes the two phrases are used loosely to describe the same general idea. But in practice, modern lease

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