Creating a better South, one home at a time.
Better South Properties
Hi, y’all. We’re Better South Properties.
“All flourishing is mutual.”- Robin Wall Kimmerer
At Better South Properties, we believe mutual aid is the most direct path to improving lives. By utilizing our own resources, we aim to help improve life in the South one home at a time.
At Better South Properties, your rent works for you.
Homeownership should be accessible
In our society, homeownership is not just about having a place to live, it is one of the biggest ways to build generational wealth. Unfortunately, many find themselves locked out of that opportunity due to rising costs. When rent costs more than a mortgage payment, it can be hard to save up for a down payment needed to buy a home. As a result, families have fewer assets to pass down, a loss that compounds over time.
Additionally, Tallahassee real estate is often targeted by big investors looking to cash-in on our large student population, sending money out of our community and removing affordable homes from the market.
Homeownership should be an achievable goal for working class families, not a mere pipe dream.
Our goals are twofold:
to help people in Tallahassee become homeowners, and
to keep property ownership local and out of the hands of foreign investors.
Why it works
It started with an idea that seemed too simple to work: utilizing a mutual aid model to help people become homeowners. In reality, it works because it is simple, because people are worth investing in.
How it works
Our rent-to-own program is simple and designed to set renters up for success:
The monthly rent includes the mortgage cost, a portion of the investment (down payment, upfront costs, etc.), plus a small fee that goes directly into an emergency savings fund for the house. Once the initial investment is paid off, the renter is able to purchase the home for the remainder of the mortgage. The emergency savings fund is also transferred to the new owner.
We float the down payment, your rent earns equity, you become a homeowner—that’s it!
A hand up for homeownership.
