You may be surprised to know that there are many ways to buy a home, even if you have little or no money to put down.  Take a look at the 4 possibilities below and see which one may work for you:

1. Invest In Sweat Equity

Sweat Equity is a way to get a home by trading work for equity in the house. This could be used for a down payment or for purchase later.  This is a great technique if you are handy with tools, yard-work, and paint.

Look for fixer-uppers in neighborhoods you are interested in. Many times these homes will have a hard time selling and the owner is ready for just about any offer. You will find these houses ranging from just needing a little “cosmetic” work like landscaping or painting, to totally trashed out houses in need of some serious renovation. If you are into repairs, this is a great way to get a home for a good deal.

If you are not skilled at repairs and renovation, be careful about fixer-upper homes. They could end up costing you quite a large amount of money to pay others to fix.

I also recommend getting a home inspection so that you know what exactly you are in for before you begin.

2.  Try Offering Services for the Down Payment

Offer your services or expertise to the seller in lieu of a down payment. Some examples include $10,000 worth of auto services if you’re a mechanic, dental work if you’re a dentist, desktop publishing services if you’re a designer, artwork if you’re an artist or legal work if you’re an attorney.

3. Find an Investment Partner for Equity Sharing

Look for an investment partner who’ll put up some or all of the cash in an equity-sharing partnership. You make the monthly payments and the two of you split the eventual resale profits.

4. Rent-to-Own or Lease-Option

This is really is one of the best ways to get into a home of your own when you can’t get a bank loan.  Remember that you may still have to get a loan down the line.  If you have a lease-option for 5 years, at the end of that time, you will need to purchase the house, so you can use the time to fix your credit. You can always try to negotiate another 5-year lease-option if you need more time.