This is the reality for many people trying to sell their home in the US.  Due to the sub-prime meltdown and now the credit crunch, the mortgage industry is in complete shambles.  What I have found to be happening more and more commonly is when someone has their home listed for sale with a Realtor and it takes on average over 10 months to get an offer they are willing to accept.  Once the home is sold it goes to the closing table and the bank pulls out because they just had to adjust the value of homes across the country roughly 30% less than what they are selling for.  The reason they are doing this is because there have been so many losses already that banks are doing anything they can to protect themselves from future losses.  It is sad but true that even if homes are worth more than they are appraising them at these days no bank will loan those inflated amounts anymore.  As a result banks are requiring anyone looking to buy a home to put down a large sum of their own money so that if and when they go into default they can unload the home below market price and not take a hit themselves.  The first person to loose would be the homeowner when whatever down payment in addition to any equity is lost due to a foreclosure or short sale.

For many homeowners looking to sell a home now is a great time to find a better way.  For any vacant home it obviously makes sense to find someone who is interested in buying the home one day and giving them a way for them to do so.  By offering your home for rent with the option to buy you open up a whole new market of buyers who are serious about buying, however, they just need a little help and structure to do so. 
For any questions please feel free to email me at greg@cleanslatehomes.com