If they don't exercise their option to buy within the time period allotted, the option monies and any payments made toward the house are forfeited.
Surprisingly, I have found that only a small percentage of Lease Option buyers will actually exercise the option. (50%-60%) I cover this material in detail in my book.
It shouldn't matter when you buy if you're never going to sell-but it does. If you buy just before the market falls, guess what: You will start with a loss that you have to recover before your investment begins making money. So what? According to statistics on mutual fund sales, most investors buy just in time to grab a loss.
Not sticking to your plan. The market has been up and down in recent years and this makes people very emotional with their investments and jittery about short-term losses, says Saar. The result for some has been to 'cash out' of poorly performing mutual funds. "If you established a proper, diversified plan when you invested, it is important to stick to it even through the dips in the market," says Saar. "The market may get bumpy but because the RRSP is a long-term investment, you should ride out these bumps. The plan accounts for fluctuations but should still reach its goal in the long run." Investors who contribute regularly to their plan are less impacted by swings in the market and can benefit from an investment strategy called dollar cost averaging.