Purchasing PreForeclosure Property

Purchasing a foreclosed home can be a valuable investment. Finding a preforeclosure can be an even greater investment. Preforeclosures are homes where the mortgages are in default, the bank has made notice of foreclosure, but the process is not completed. These properties will be listed on preforeclosure listings. These listings are available to the general public through county records and newspapers. There are also many web sites that offer this information. Making contacts within the REO (real estate owned) department of banks is another way to gain access to preforeclosure listings.

By purchasing a property that is going into foreclosure, you can make a good profit and also help the homeowner avoid foreclosure. In most cases, a homeowner that is facing foreclosure is a very motivated seller. By selling the property before the foreclosure, he is able to spare the damage to his credit rating. The bank is also willing to work with a buyer because they too want to avoid the foreclosure. Many banks make their preforeclosure listings available to the public, trying to avoid the foreclosure process.

Before making an offer on property that is listed on preforeclosure listings, do a full inspection of the property. Research the fair market value for the property given its current condition. A physical inspection will allow you to determine where there are problems and the cost of repairing them. Weigh these findings against the asking price, current value and the current loan amount. If there is significant equity in the property without extensive repairs, it would be a good investment. Many times the property can be purchased for the defaulted loan amount. This will generally be well below the value of the property.

Another place to access pre foreclosure listings is in public court documents. These documents will give information on houses 30 to 180 days before foreclosure. A legal notice must be filed before a foreclosure can be finalized. These notices are available to the public. These notices contain the property address, loan amount and the name of the owner. This is enough information that you can contact the owner directly. Many times, these owners are willing to negotiate a sale to avoid foreclosure.

Web sites containing pre foreclosure listings often offer this information for free. If they don’t, most will offer a limited time trial offer. This is a valuable way to access this information for free. Since these pre foreclosure listings change on a daily basis, it may be worth the investment of joining a web site until you find a property that you wish to purchase.

While buying foreclosed property is a smart investment, buying a pre foreclosed property can be more lucrative. Most owners are motivated sellers and willing to negotiate to avoid foreclosure. Finding pre foreclosure listings is the first step toward this process.