That's an interesting idea, but what you're describing basically sounds like a: A) 0% down-payment mortgage B) where you can stop making payments at any time,

That's an interesting idea, but what you're describing basically sounds like a: A) 0% down-payment mortgage B) where you can stop making payments at any time, and get to keep your equity in the house anyway The above obviously sounds like a sweet deal for the buyer, but put yourself in the shoes of a developer/home-owner/bank: Why would you agree to a deal like that? Why not just sell the house to someone who is willing to commit to a traditional mortgage and buy it outright? You will only agree to the above terms if the buyer is offering you significantly more money. But as a buyer, are you willing to pay significantly more money than you would have to pay under a traditional mortgage? It sounds like what you really want is: A) The flexibility and mobility that comes with renting B) The ability to invest in real-estate in an incremental and liquid manner There is already a solution that accomplishes both of the above! Just continue renting your house, and invest the rest of your money into REITs. This way, you get all the flexibility and mobility of renting, together with the incremental and liquid nature of REIT investments. If the reason you're averse to the above, is that you don't want to "throw your money away in rent," that's a false misconception. When you buy a house and make mortgage payments, the fact that you get to "live in the house for free" is already baked into the price of the house. This is why mortgage payments (after amortizing the down-payment) is virtually always higher than renting the same house. Regardless of whether you choose to rent or buy, you're still "throwing away" the same amount of money regardless. Is what you suggested capable of "working"? Sure. Any arrangement can be made to work, with the appropriate numbers needed to attract a counter-party. But is it going to generate anything of value beyond what we currently have? I doubt it. If you want flexible living arrangements, rent a house. If you want to own real estate, buy REITs. If your complaint with this suggestion is that rent is too high and REITs are too expensive, there's no alternative business arrangement which will solve that problem.