Buying a Foreclosed Home
To begin with, understand that a foreclosed home is a house, which has been put up for sale by a bank or a moneylender because the house owners defaulted on their mortgage payments. The house can either be put up for sale in the open market, or it can be auctioned at real estate auctions. In this article, we will have a look at some tips on buying a foreclosed home, the buying procedure, as well as the risks of buying a foreclosed home. Buying a foreclosed home is a process that is considerably different from buying a piece of normal property. The steps involve many legalities.
Process of Purchase
- First and foremost, understand the concept of foreclosures and the legalities involved in purchasing a foreclosed home. The legal aspects of buying a foreclosed home vary from state to state, therefore it is imperative that you consult a realtor or a legal expert to understand all the necessary legal procedures involved.
- Once you are equipped with all the necessary information about buying a foreclosed home in your state, you can set out to look for foreclosures. Real estate agents, websites, real estate magazines, newspapers, etc., are some of the mediums that you can resort to in order to get to know about foreclosed properties in your neighborhood.
- Once you shortlist a couple of properties, it is recommended that you seek help from an experienced real estate agent for all further dealings and transactions. Due to the complexities and the legalities involved in the purchase of foreclosed properties, it is always beneficial that you have the assistance of a real estate attorney, who is experienced in dealing with foreclosures.
- Get in touch with the house owner and plan a house visit. Find out the market rate of that property well in advance. Compare it with the price being quoted by the house owner. By making good use of your negotiation skills, you should be able to get a good deal. Striking a good bargain is one of the main benefits of buying a foreclosed home.
- At the same time, if you happen to have a good credit score and credit history, then you may be able to get an even better deal from the bank.
Pros
- One of the biggest advantages of buying a foreclosed home is the hefty discount that you get over the prevailing market rate.
- Considering the situation that house owners find themselves in, the final amount usually happens to be a number which is big enough for the owners to pay off their mortgage debt, and yet is around 20 to 30 percent lower than the property market rates.
- Therefore, the fact that buying foreclosed properties happens to be one of the regular activities of people involved in real estate investment doesn’t come as a surprise at all.
Cons
- Well, if you want to buy a foreclosed home, you better be prepared for a lot of documentation, paperwork, and legal procedures.
- Keeping track of foreclosure dates, auction dates, real estate records, government and bank records, etc., are some of the things that are commonly involved when it comes to buying foreclosures.
- Also, in case of foreclosures, house owners basically end up selling their homes out of desperation. In such cases, there are chances that issues such as house maintenance, house repairs, furnishing, etc., may have been completely neglected.
- Therefore, it is possible that although you get a foreclosed house at a dirt low price, later you end up spending a sizable amount on house repairs, renovation, maintenance activities, etc. This is a risk that is always present when it comes to buying foreclosed properties.
Always undertake thorough research prior to closing the deal. Take into consideration all the legalities associated with buying a foreclosed home so that the process is smooth for you.
