{"id":13317,"date":"2026-05-28T04:00:34","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T11:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?p=13317"},"modified":"2026-05-29T01:55:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T08:55:57","slug":"buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s the Catch with Rent to Own Homes? 7 Reasons to Beware of These Deals"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-how-to-buy-a-house\/\">find a home<\/a> you love, but your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-credit-score-to-buy-a-house\/\">credit score<\/a> needs work, and your savings aren\u2019t there yet. Buying feels out of reach, while renting feels like money slipping away each month. Then a rent-to-own offer appears, promising a path to homeownership without the pressure of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-what-is-a-mortgage\/\">mortgage<\/a> right away. For those stuck in between, it sounds almost too good to pass up. And yet, you wonder, what\u2019s the catch with rent-to-own homes?<\/p>\n<p>The answer often lies in the contract details, financial risks, and expectations that many buyers don\u2019t fully see upfront.<\/p>\n<p>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"geo-cta widget-cta widget-cta--content     widget-cta--dark widget-cta--dark-blue-gradient\">\n    <div class=\"widget-element--content\">\n        <div class=\"widget-element--content-header\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"homelight logo\" class=\"widget-element--logo\" src=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/ccprototypev5\/images\/logo-small-cta.png\" width=\"106\" height=\"25\" \/>\n        <\/div>\n        \n                <h3 class=\"cta-headline widget--bold\">Work With a Top Agent to Find a Rent-to-Own Home<\/h3>\n                        <p>When considering a rent-to-own home, working with a real estate agent experienced in these types of deals can help you navigate the process and find a great deal.<\/p>\n        \n                <div class=\"widget-element--buttons\">\n            <a data-type=\"In Content CTA\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/find-agent\/quiz\/buyer?#\/qaas=0\/\" class=\"cta-click-track widget-element--button\">Find Agent<\/a>\n        <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <div id=\"section--1\" data-toc-header=\"Rent-to-own basics\" data-toc-type=\"head\"><\/div><\/p>\n<h2>Rent-to-own basics: Crediting rent toward a future purchase<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-how-to-find-rent-to-own-homes\/\">Rent-to-own homes<\/a> sit in the middle ground between renting and buying, where a tenant typically agrees to live in a home for a set period with the option to purchase it later. There are two types of rent-to-own agreements.<\/p>\n<p>In a lease-option agreement, the renter has the right, but not the obligation, to buy the home at the end of the lease, while a lease-purchase agreement usually locks both parties into a future sale at a predetermined price.<\/p>\n<p>In both setups, a portion of the monthly rent may go toward the eventual <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-what-is-a-down-payment\/\">down payment<\/a>, and an upfront option fee is often required to secure the arrangement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What\u2019s the catch with rent to own homes? Higher payments, strict terms, and upfront fees can make these deals risky. Learn what to watch for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":45765,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[192,636,629],"tags":[802],"class_list":["post-13317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-for-buyers","category-rent-own","category-home-financing","tag-is-rent-to-own-a-good-idea"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.7 (Yoast SEO v27.7) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>What\u2019s the Catch with Rent to Own Homes? 7 Reasons to Beware<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What\u2019s the catch with rent to own homes? Higher payments, strict terms, and upfront fees can make these deals risky. Learn what to watch for.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What\u2019s the Catch with Rent to Own Homes? 7 Reasons to Beware of These Deals\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"What\u2019s the catch with rent to own homes? Higher payments, strict terms, and upfront fees can make these deals risky. Learn what to watch for.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HomeLight Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-28T11:00:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-05-29T08:55:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Untitled-design-2024-07-18T023359.369.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"563\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Christine Bartsch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@CEBartsch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@gohomelight\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Christine Bartsch\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"14 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Christine Bartsch\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71ff0d89cc5def9e8525db525be21ee8\"},\"headline\":\"What\u2019s the Catch with Rent to Own Homes? 7 Reasons to Beware of These Deals\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T11:00:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-29T08:55:57+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":232,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/Untitled-design-2024-07-18T023359.369.png\",\"keywords\":[\"Is rent to own a good idea?\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Buyers\",\"Explore rent to own\",\"Financing\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\\\/\",\"name\":\"What\u2019s the Catch with Rent to Own Homes? 7 Reasons to Beware\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/Untitled-design-2024-07-18T023359.369.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-28T11:00:34+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-05-29T08:55:57+00:00\",\"description\":\"What\u2019s the catch with rent to own homes? Higher payments, strict terms, and upfront fees can make these deals risky. Learn what to watch for.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/Untitled-design-2024-07-18T023359.369.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/Untitled-design-2024-07-18T023359.369.png\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":563,\"caption\":\"Source: (Holly Stratton\\\/ Unsplash)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What\u2019s the Catch with Rent to Own Homes? 7 Reasons to Beware of These Deals\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"name\":\"HomeLight Blog\",\"description\":\"Real Estate Advice from America&#039;s Top Agents\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"HomeLight\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/logo-hr-color.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2017\\\/11\\\/logo-hr-color.png\",\"width\":1348,\"height\":262,\"caption\":\"HomeLight\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/gohomelight\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/gohomelight\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/homelight\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/channel\\\/UCimugR9XF17-OZ7B9fNnxWw\",\"https:\\\/\\\/en.wikipedia.org\\\/wiki\\\/HomeLight\"],\"description\":\"Everything you need to know to sell your house faster and for more money. Articles, guides, and advice from top agents all over the U.S.\",\"email\":\"support@homelight.com\",\"telephone\":\"(888) 688-0350\",\"legalName\":\"HomeLight\",\"foundingDate\":\"2012-01-01\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"201\",\"maxValue\":\"500\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/71ff0d89cc5def9e8525db525be21ee8\",\"name\":\"Christine Bartsch\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/40282e0cb86b82cac5c35ac45fdd1f584ce664780c5c5808924f6f29eda7c4ae?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/40282e0cb86b82cac5c35ac45fdd1f584ce664780c5c5808924f6f29eda7c4ae?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/40282e0cb86b82cac5c35ac45fdd1f584ce664780c5c5808924f6f29eda7c4ae?s=96&d=blank&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Christine Bartsch\"},\"description\":\"Former art and design instructor Christine Bartsch holds an MFA in creative writing from Spalding University. Launching her writing career in 2007, Christine has crafted interior design content for companies including USA Today and Houzz.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/christinebartsch\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/CEBartsch\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.homelight.com\\\/blog\\\/author\\\/christine-bartsch\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What\u2019s the Catch with Rent to Own Homes? 7 Reasons to Beware","description":"What\u2019s the catch with rent to own homes? Higher payments, strict terms, and upfront fees can make these deals risky. Learn what to watch for.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What\u2019s the Catch with Rent to Own Homes? 7 Reasons to Beware of These Deals","og_description":"What\u2019s the catch with rent to own homes? Higher payments, strict terms, and upfront fees can make these deals risky. Learn what to watch for.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/","og_site_name":"HomeLight Blog","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","article_published_time":"2026-05-28T11:00:34+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-05-29T08:55:57+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":563,"url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Untitled-design-2024-07-18T023359.369.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Christine Bartsch","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@CEBartsch","twitter_site":"@gohomelight","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Christine Bartsch","Est. reading time":"14 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/"},"author":{"name":"Christine Bartsch","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/71ff0d89cc5def9e8525db525be21ee8"},"headline":"What\u2019s the Catch with Rent to Own Homes? 7 Reasons to Beware of These Deals","datePublished":"2026-05-28T11:00:34+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-29T08:55:57+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/"},"wordCount":232,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Untitled-design-2024-07-18T023359.369.png","keywords":["Is rent to own a good idea?"],"articleSection":["Buyers","Explore rent to own","Financing"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/","name":"What\u2019s the Catch with Rent to Own Homes? 7 Reasons to Beware","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Untitled-design-2024-07-18T023359.369.png","datePublished":"2026-05-28T11:00:34+00:00","dateModified":"2026-05-29T08:55:57+00:00","description":"What\u2019s the catch with rent to own homes? Higher payments, strict terms, and upfront fees can make these deals risky. Learn what to watch for.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Untitled-design-2024-07-18T023359.369.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Untitled-design-2024-07-18T023359.369.png","width":1000,"height":563,"caption":"Source: (Holly Stratton\/ Unsplash)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/buyer-whats-the-catch-with-rent-to-own-homes\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What\u2019s the Catch with Rent to Own Homes? 7 Reasons to Beware of These Deals"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","name":"HomeLight Blog","description":"Real Estate Advice from America&#039;s Top Agents","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"HomeLight","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/logo-hr-color.png","width":1348,"height":262,"caption":"HomeLight"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gohomelight\/","https:\/\/x.com\/gohomelight","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/homelight\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCimugR9XF17-OZ7B9fNnxWw","https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/HomeLight"],"description":"Everything you need to know to sell your house faster and for more money. Articles, guides, and advice from top agents all over the U.S.","email":"support@homelight.com","telephone":"(888) 688-0350","legalName":"HomeLight","foundingDate":"2012-01-01","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"201","maxValue":"500"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/71ff0d89cc5def9e8525db525be21ee8","name":"Christine Bartsch","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40282e0cb86b82cac5c35ac45fdd1f584ce664780c5c5808924f6f29eda7c4ae?s=96&d=blank&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40282e0cb86b82cac5c35ac45fdd1f584ce664780c5c5808924f6f29eda7c4ae?s=96&d=blank&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/40282e0cb86b82cac5c35ac45fdd1f584ce664780c5c5808924f6f29eda7c4ae?s=96&d=blank&r=g","caption":"Christine Bartsch"},"description":"Former art and design instructor Christine Bartsch holds an MFA in creative writing from Spalding University. Launching her writing career in 2007, Christine has crafted interior design content for companies including USA Today and Houzz.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/christinebartsch\/","https:\/\/x.com\/CEBartsch"],"url":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/author\/christine-bartsch\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/37"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}