Hey Julian!I recently bought a house and work for a Realtor so here is my 2 cents:Donu2019t do rent-to-own without really reading the fine print. Often times interest rates for this are higher than mortgages, and you lose a lot more if for some reason you are unable to make a payment. These are really for people who donu2019t have good credit (think subprime lending).If you go the mortgage route, there are some good low down payment and low credit options (FHA) but that also increases your payment in the long run. The higher the down-payment, the less you pay in interest over time, but also, the less mortgage insurance you have to pay. If credit is the issue, think about opening a bank credit card/personal loan specifically to just boost your credit score.If you donu2019t have the cash to buy upfront, time to do as Babson taught - NETWORK. Use your connections. Find who you know that has the financial stability to finance your home. Pick some terms that work for both of you and it could be a win-win. You might be able to get several people on board if one single person doesnu2019t have the full amount you need.Seller financing is the way to go IF theyu2019ll go for it. Sellers have very little motivation to accept an offer with seller financing if there is someone else (or the chance of someone else) paying up front. But again, need to read the fine print on what terms would be.An interesting other option I heard of is to find someone behind on their payments. If they are at risk of losing it all and having bankruptcy on their record, they might be desperate to offload a house. Your u201cdownpaymentu201d is whatever they owe on the home in back payments and you basically take over their payments, paying the current mortgage lender. They write over the house in your name, but mortgage stays in their name.Could be things you knew already - but hey, maybe it helped!-Ashley