Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Foreclosure How To Buy A Wise Investment

By Steven McCarthy

Foreclosure how to buy property inexpensively. For many homeowners, the prospect of foreclosure is probably what many would consider the lowest point of their time as a homeowner. Foreclosures are a real concern for any homeowner, especially in this day and age, with credit markets tighter than ever and the real threat of foreclosure looming over every loan a bank makes for purchasing a home.

Bank owned property is often purchased by independent investors even before the foreclosure on a piece of property are final. Anyone can become a part of this growing market of purchasing distressed properties for a substantial discount, so long as you ensure that you follow some simple tips to make sure you don't get burned when buying foreclosed upon real estate.

Banks and mortgage companies are in the lending business, not the property management business. When a bank or mortgage company forecloses on a property, they do not gain an asset, they lose capital. Their capital is tied up in a property instead of being put to work and making more money. Banks and lending companies want to free up the capital that is stagnant in the property, and re-invest it in new loan.

The lenders are also reluctant to foreclose homes because the home may be worth less than the amount of the outstanding loan. As long as the homeowners continue to pay their mortgage, the lenders will get the full amount of the loan back plus the interest. The interest comprises the lenders profit, so even if they could sell the property for enough to pay off the loan, they would not profit if they are not able to collect interest as well.

This situation creates many opportunities for investors to find foreclosed homes and profit from them. The most obvious way would be for an investor to buy a property that has been foreclosed on from a real estate agent. In this case, the home is advertised and purchased like any other home. The lender would usually be a very motivated seller, but may want close to market value for the property. After all, they have incurred costs, need to pay agent fees, and have had to hold the property, which are all things they don't like to do.

When an investor buys a property for close to market value, there is little room for them to resell it for a profit. An investor who is able to find foreclosed homes which have not yet been listed with a real estate agent is able to make more profit because the lender is able to sell the property for less. The lender wants to unload their inventory of foreclosed homes as quickly as possible. The investor who is able to find foreclosed homes and offer the lender a bid before the properties are put on the market can make more profit. The lenders might accept a much lower bid to avoid the costs and time of marketing the property through conventional means.

The greatest profit can be made before the property even goes into foreclosure. Rather than find foreclosed homes, the investor needs to find homes about to be foreclosed on. In other words, they need to buy the home from the homeowner before it becomes the property of the lender.

Property hunters need to always be cautious when considering these foreclosure deals. Prior to making an offer, do your homework. Don't be surprised if the previous tenets trashed the place out of anger before leaving. Consider any renovations that will need to be done to the home.

Housing prices are at an all time low right now. People are looking to bank owned property to purchase homes at a low price. The hope is that the real estate market will survive and thrive again. If all goes as planned, they will be sitting pretty when it does. That is why foreclosure how to buy bank owned property is so attractive. For expert tips on foreclosure investing subscribe to our RSS feed.

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