When a home owner fails to make payments on their house, the property then goes into foreclosure status. This can be an ideal time to find a bargain if you are in the market for a new home or looking to find some rental properties. Purchasing a foreclosed home can be a very exciting experience. It’s a viable means to acquire property below property value- sometimes well below what they are worth. When searching for a foreclosure to bid on, there are a few things to keep in mind.
Locate the Property
A foreclosure can be any kind of property. They aren’t limited to only being in run down neighbor hoods and other undesirable locations. Many foreclosed homes can be found in very good locations- chances are if you were to drive down a street that you are interested in living you could find several. One of the best ways to find a foreclosed home is to speak with a real estate agent and let them know that you are interested in finding a foreclosure to purchase. This will open up the door to a lot of resources that wouldn’t otherwise be available, such as the MLS listings. They may also be able to help you find houses that are just in the beginning stages of foreclosure. This means you may be able to simply assume the mortgage. After catching up all the back payments, all you would be required to do then is pay the monthly payments on the loan. However, keep in mind that many lenders put conditions on the loans and may call them if they were to find out that the loan has been transferred to another person. A real estate agent will also be able to help you proceed with placing an offer with the lender or bank that owns the property, as well as negotiating the terms you would like to have.
Inspect the Property
Before jumping into buying a home that has been foreclosed on, it is very important to conduct a careful inspection of everything. Since the majority of HUD homes are sold as is, this means that there will be no recourse on your end if there turns out to be any major problems with the property. Sometimes, there will also be cleaning left to do before the house is in move-in condition. Take care to make sure that the deal really is as good as it seems, because sometimes it’s better that you walked away from it as opposed to jumping into a major fixer-upper. However, sometimes the items that need repairing will be small enough that the house is still a bargain.
Place a Bid
Depending on where the house is in the foreclosure process, you may have to attend an auction to bid on it. Keep in mind that if you do decide to go to an auction, you will be required to have the money upfront if you win the bid. However, this can be the perfect time to acquire a house for a lot less than you would otherwise pay. If the house has already gone through the auction without anyone winning the bid, you can then submit an offer directly to the lender. If you don’t have any prior experience with purchasing foreclosed properties, than this is probably a better way to go about it. Since it did not sell at auction, many lenders are willing to negotiate on the terms somewhat. For instance, they may be willing to accept less for the amount down. It might also be possible to get a lower interest rate as well.
