Do these guys understand that rent-to-own financing is already a thing? The concept got a lot of play when the Great Bubble blew up and left a lot of underwater borrowers in foreclosure. This article doesn't address title issues or other problems with rent-to-own. Or even the vagaries of the housing market. What they're describing is a 20-year mortgage on a schedule that pays down 5 percent of the principle each year, with the title presumably held by the seller throughout. A homeowner's equity is the market value of the house less any debt still owed on the house. Market value is subject to volatility, so assigning equity by schedule makes no sense.