Thursday, August 6, 2009

The Foreclosure Process for Real Estate Investors

Sign Of The Times - ForeclosureImage by respres via Flickr


By Rick Halperin

Are you looking at foreclosures as a way to continue to build your real estate portfolio or to reposition equity? This article looks at the foreclosure process for real estate investors.

Changing market conditions and rising interest rates have pushed increasing numbers of property owners over the edge. Is their misfortune an opportunity for you? Based on the numerous seminars advertising to explain the foreclosure process for real estate investors, seminar promoters sure think so. Let’s explore where you can find some information on potential foreclosure properties on your own.

First, there are many search engines that can give you information on foreclosure properties and the foreclosure process for real estate investors. Once found, you can contact the property owners who have gotten too far behind on their mortgage payments and offer to buy their real estate. This will allow them to avoid foreclosure and the damage to their credit. In addition they could potentially receive some money in exchange for losing their property, which they would not were the bank to foreclose on the property.

Other sources are foreclosure auctions. Thousands of properties get auctioned off every week across the country. Many of these properties are sold for ridiculously low prices. To locate these auctions, check online, in newspapers, or simply ask a bank when their next scheduled auction will take place. But be advised, there is usually more competition at foreclosure auctions than there is when buying pre-foreclosures.

An REO is real estate owned by the bank. An REO is different from a foreclosure property in that the bank has already tried to sell it at a foreclosure auction and has had no luck getting bids. Because the property was not bid on, the bank then became the owner of the property. Naturally, the bank does not want to keep the REO any longer than possible, and this makes it a great opportunity for an investor. In buying an REO, you have distinct advantages that you do not when buying a foreclosure property. You are able to buy on your own schedule; you can make an offer on the home any time, you don’t have to wait for bidding to begin; and you can inspect it before you buy.

However, just because the bank owns a property does not make it a good deal. In fact, when you see that a home or property is an REO you have to wonder exactly what is wrong with it. So invest with caution.



The http://www.gotexit.net foreclosure process for real estate investors must be done with caution. But, investing in foreclosure properties has interesting potential for being an appropriate strategy for growing your real estate portfolio, or for repositioning the equity from other properties.

Article Source: Rick Halperin
The Foreclosure Process for Real Estate Investors




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