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You'd love to own a home—and you can afford the payments—but going the traditional route isn't working out. Or maybe you'd just like to avoid the expense and hassle of dealing with banks and lending institutions in the incredibly difficult credit market.

One way to purchase a home unconventionally, is to find a home owner who is willing to finance the purchase himself. This means that rather than go through a bank or other lending institution to get a mortgage, the owner holds the contract on the home and you make payments to him on a specified time table with a negotiated interest rate.

Given the current difficulty of selling a home, many more owners are willing to consider unusual options. But finding willing lenders is still likely to be a problem.

One way to find such a home is to look for homes for sale by owner (FSBO). When a homeowner is “going on their own,” they are more likely to consider unconventional methods. You can find these listings in the newspaper, on local classified websites, and just by driving around in the neighborhood you are considering, looking for a yard sign.

Technology is a boon in home search as well. As with many other special situations, there are now sites designed specifically to help you locate owner financed homes in any area you choose. Jacksonville Owner Financed Homes, for example, will give you a list, pulled from many different sources, of available homes with owner financing in the Jacksonville, Florida.

Keep in mind that buying a home is a complex and expensive transaction. Make sure you get the needed financial/legal advice. The government has provided an overview on buying a home that may help make your home buying experience positive.

Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.