lease/ rent to own homes in Mass? (Springfield, Hadley: real estate, affordable apartment)

[BrokenBlackWings]

My Fiance and I are planning to move back to Mass in the very near future ( roughly two months if not sooner) Having lived there before ( he grew up there his family is there) we know rent isnt cheap. We own cats so finding pet-friendly, affordable apartment is seriously challenging. We would prefer to not have to deal with apartment life again either. Unfortunately we do not have anything that could be considered a decent amount for a down payment saved at this time .
I was looking into lease/rent to own but Ive only found about a handful
One rather appealing prospect unfortunately was only for Cape Cod properties.

Anyone know of realestate agent, company or such that might have properties available for Lease option ? We are looking to be in the South Shore area .

[lprovo]

Channel 22 in Springfield MA recently reported on a "rent to own" scam. I own a for-sale-by owner-service in Western Mass and one of our sellers reported getting a call from this company a couple of months ago. The company wanted to buy his home, then rent it to a couple who were trying to get their lives back in order. Sounded fishy and he didn't bite, thankfully.

The alleged scam artist called herself a investment specialist and put herself out to be a real estate agent (as reported by Channel 22) but a quick license check didn't turn up anything. Her partner, however, is a licensed agent from Hadley, MA. In the current economy I'm afraid we will be hearing more unfortunate stories such as this.

Be very careful looking at "rent to own" properties and check out the agent, the agency (as the broker is responsible for his/her agent's actions), and the reputation of the company. Read the fine print and don't sign anything until your attorney reviews the documents.