The price may be right, but be prepared for the hassles.
Michael Lappano knows a home bargain when he sees one. Last year, the Bellevue, Wash., real estate agent purchased a condominium for only $255,000 (including an outstanding lien). That's $65,000 less than what comparable units were selling for, he says. To get the steep discount, he bid on the home at an auction for foreclosures. "The location was perfect, just two traffic lights from my office," says Lappano. He now lives in the sunny two-bedroom, two-bathroom condo with his new wife, Stephanie. And the property is still worth about $315,000, even in the face of a nationwide slump in home prices.
Just over a year after Lappano purchased his home, buyers looking for bargains are eyeing an unprecedented selection of foreclosed luxury houses and condos, in addition to more modest homes. Foreclosures were up 60% in February from a year earlier, according to RealtyTrac, an online listing service. Arizona, California, Florida and Nevada have been hit hardest, but foreclosures are on the increase just about everywhere.
Rick Sharga, marketing director for RealtyTrac, says he hears from brokers that many buyers now begin their home search with a request to look at foreclosures and bank-owned properties. But there's no guarantee that buying a foreclosure will save money compared with buying the traditional way. Discounts vary tremendously depending on where you live. In fact, many foreclosed homes are priced higher than their true value because sellers are trying to pay off the mortgage and cover taxes and transaction costs.
Plus, buying a foreclosure involves homework, patience and often a good measure of luck. If you're buying at auction, you usually need to pay cash. You may face long waiting periods to take possession of the property and move in, and the property could require extensive repairs. Sometimes the former occupants strip the house of all appliances and vandalize the property.
You may also have problems getting accurate information before you buy, says Seattle real estate attorney Richard Llewelyn Jones. "There could be judgments and liens attached to the property or more than one note or deed of trust being foreclosed." In the end, most buyers are turned off by the risks. "If you don't know what you're doing, you could lose your shirt," says Jones.
Getting a discount. If you're game, find an agent who deals with foreclosures. Your agent can locate properties and establish their market value -- which could be very different from the asking price. You will have to pay for any repairs, so build in a generous estimate of what they could cost. Also, you may need a lot of cash because traditional financing may not be an option.
Each state has its own rules governing foreclosures: whether the transaction goes through the court system, what taxes you pay and how much cash you need upfront. To get a summary of your state's law, visit the resource center at online listing service ForeclosurePoint.com.
Also, you generally cannot get title insurance until you take ownership, nor can you expect the title warranties that usually kick in during a traditional home purchase. You need to inspect the title thoroughly, which means paying several hundred dollars for a title search and combing through it to ferret out all outstanding debts. Even so, says Jones, there may be title problems that aren't of record or that appear on the record between the time of your title search and the public sale. Be prepared to pay off old tax liens attached to the home -- and to buy title insurance as soon as you take ownership.
Three ways to buy. Wherever you live, there are three ways to buy a foreclosure: in a presale (before the lender forecloses), at auction or directly from the bank. In a presale, you negotiate with homeowners directly, before their home goes into foreclosure. Although the discount can be as much as 20% to 40% off the property's value, a presale is the riskiest way to buy because deals frequently fall through and title problems are rife. And pre-foreclosure buyers have to add in the cost of an inspection and fork over real estate excise tax, as do those who buy bank-owned property. (Buyers at auction may avoid these costs in some states.)
Buying at a public auction is the most common type of foreclosure purchase. Buyers can expect a discount of 10% to 25% compared with buying a home through traditional channels, says Dean Street, an agent and 30-year veteran of foreclosure buying in the western U.S. But the road to auction can be bumpy, too. For starters, you often cannot inspect the interior of the home. Street says it's vital to see the property even if you can't gain entry. "If there is 300 pounds of garbage in the front yard, there is probably 600 pounds inside," he says. One way to research the interior is to check the local building department's permit records, or have your agent see if a recent listing has information on appearance, layout and previous remodelings.
Another hassle: Most foreclosures that go to auction get postponed, usually due to bankruptcy or loss mitigation (when the bank tries to compromise with the borrower), says Chris Matty, marketing director of ForeclosurePoint.com. He notes that opening bids also change frequently, especially as home values are marked down further.
The winning bidder will pay for the property and take ownership within a set period of time, which varies according to state law. But you're not out of the woods yet. Some states, such as North Carolina, give former homeowners a chance to buy the property back. Sometimes foreclosure buyers have to start eviction proceedings; once the house is vacant, you usually have to schedule repairs.
Work with the lender? If no one buys a property at the auction, it usually ends up back with the bank. Banks have a lot of these real estate owned, or REO, properties in their portfolios and are actively trying to sell them through agents. And unlike buying at auction, you can usually get a traditional mortgage for an REO. Unfortunately, lenders often list the property at or near market value to recover the outstanding loan amount along with legal fees, property taxes and maintenance costs.
But an experienced foreclosure broker can negotiate aggressively with a bank, especially when the property has been listed for a year or more. Plus, banks trying to sell foreclosures sometimes offer highly competitive financing packages to buyers, including low down payments and attractive rates. As home values decline, some lenders are willing to negotiate a "short sale," in which the property is sold for less than the debt owed on the house. That's one way foreclosure buyers can profit. In some markets, the discount is as much as 25%; but where there's less inventory, the discount can be smaller.
You can find REOs through real estate agents. Or approach local banks or mortgage brokers directly and let them know you are prepared to buy a property "as is" with cash and request a discount from the asking price. Banks sometimes pay to remodel properties to improve their value. But with so much inventory on their books right now, most lenders want to unload foreclosed homes quickly, without having to refurbish them.
Showing posts with label bank owned property. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bank owned property. Show all posts
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Pacman Jones, Home being foreclosed
Pacman is looking for money, and the mortgage company is the blue monsters. Can Pacman Jones get to the power pellet full of money before his home is sold on the auction block. A foreclosure sale has been published involving the home of former Tennessee Titan Adam “Pacman” Jones.
Jones has defaulted on the terms and conditions of a mortgage with U.S. Bank, according to a notice of foreclosure sale published Thursday in The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville.
The home and 30 acres, located in a Nashville suburb, will be sold June 27 on the steps of the old Williamson County Courthouse.
Jones, a cornerback, was traded to the Dallas Cowboys this year. He missed all of the 2007 season while serving an NFL suspension that hasn’t been completely lifted.
Tax records show he purchased the property in July 2006 for $1.5 million.
For foreclosure listings, go to http://www.thenoteservice.com
Jones has defaulted on the terms and conditions of a mortgage with U.S. Bank, according to a notice of foreclosure sale published Thursday in The Tennessean newspaper in Nashville.
The home and 30 acres, located in a Nashville suburb, will be sold June 27 on the steps of the old Williamson County Courthouse.
Jones, a cornerback, was traded to the Dallas Cowboys this year. He missed all of the 2007 season while serving an NFL suspension that hasn’t been completely lifted.
Tax records show he purchased the property in July 2006 for $1.5 million.
For foreclosure listings, go to http://www.thenoteservice.com
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
How Beginning Investory can make money on Foreclosures
No question, foreclosures are at a record number right now. After a period of aggressive lending, more and more people are finding it impossible to meet their mortgage repayments. The banks and other lenders, in turn, are foreclosing on more and more properties.
I think the banks committed "foreclosure suicide" when they issued some of these adjustable loans and creative loan programs to people who really shouldn't be getting those loans. They are now seeing the fruits of their labor.
Given the crash in property prices across the nation... this means huge opportunities for the savvy real estate investor. So in this article I'll outline the main ways you can make money from foreclosures.
Okay, so what is a foreclosure? Basically, a foreclosure arises where someone who has borrowed money from a bank or other lender to buy a property -- and has given the lender the property as security for the loan -- fails to meet their mortgage repayment obligations... and the lender decides to repossess and sell the property as a result.
There are three main foreclosure investment opportunities, depending on the status of the foreclosed home in the foreclosure process.
The first way to profit is if the property is in pre-foreclosure. At this point, the bank (or other lender) has sent the defaulting mortgagor a certified letter requiring them to make good all their outstanding repayments by a particular date.
If you were to then step in and offer to buy the home from the mortgagor, that would stop the foreclosure proceedings. Many homeowners would rather sell their home at a steep discount to an investor like you -- in the hope they could make a small profit or at least get rid of their debt -- than go through the stress and potentially greater financial loss associated with the foreclosure process. The bank, too, is likely to prefer this outcome.
Some tremendous opportunities are within this specific niche right here. You want to get to these deals as quickly as possible. Even if you don't get the deal right away, followup with the sellers through the foreclosure process--it's worth it!
The second way to make money from foreclosures is when the property is being sold via public auction (or trustee sale). During such an auction or trustee sale, the property must be sold to the highest bidder. Properties being sold at a foreclosure auction are often bought sight unseen, so there are some risks involved. However, if you take this into account when bidding on a particular property -- as well as the fact that the bank is eager to sell -- an auction may give you a terrific chance to pick up a home at a significant discount to its true market value.
Another way to make money from foreclosures is when you negotiate with the bank with a short sale. This is when the homeowner agrees to allow you to work directly with the bank and negotitate the loan balance down. In other words, you are making an offer to the bank for less than their mortgage payment with hopes that the bank will accept your offer and sell the house less than the loan balance.
Short sales are a powerful method to obtain equity on the property just by making an offer directly with the bank.
Finally, if the property is not sold at public auction, the bank must buy the property itself. If that occurs, the bank will usually be more motivated to get the property off its books. This gives you bargaining power!
These bargains are called REO's or Real Estate Owned properties.
So there you have the four of the main and most basic foreclosure investment opportunities in this foreclosure market. With the right strategy in place, and an eye for a good deal, there's no doubt that you can make huge money in this lucrative area of property investing. Now is the time to take action and http://www.thenoteservice.com/ can help you take a quantum leap into this lucrative niche.
I think the banks committed "foreclosure suicide" when they issued some of these adjustable loans and creative loan programs to people who really shouldn't be getting those loans. They are now seeing the fruits of their labor.
Given the crash in property prices across the nation... this means huge opportunities for the savvy real estate investor. So in this article I'll outline the main ways you can make money from foreclosures.
Okay, so what is a foreclosure? Basically, a foreclosure arises where someone who has borrowed money from a bank or other lender to buy a property -- and has given the lender the property as security for the loan -- fails to meet their mortgage repayment obligations... and the lender decides to repossess and sell the property as a result.
There are three main foreclosure investment opportunities, depending on the status of the foreclosed home in the foreclosure process.
The first way to profit is if the property is in pre-foreclosure. At this point, the bank (or other lender) has sent the defaulting mortgagor a certified letter requiring them to make good all their outstanding repayments by a particular date.
If you were to then step in and offer to buy the home from the mortgagor, that would stop the foreclosure proceedings. Many homeowners would rather sell their home at a steep discount to an investor like you -- in the hope they could make a small profit or at least get rid of their debt -- than go through the stress and potentially greater financial loss associated with the foreclosure process. The bank, too, is likely to prefer this outcome.
Some tremendous opportunities are within this specific niche right here. You want to get to these deals as quickly as possible. Even if you don't get the deal right away, followup with the sellers through the foreclosure process--it's worth it!
The second way to make money from foreclosures is when the property is being sold via public auction (or trustee sale). During such an auction or trustee sale, the property must be sold to the highest bidder. Properties being sold at a foreclosure auction are often bought sight unseen, so there are some risks involved. However, if you take this into account when bidding on a particular property -- as well as the fact that the bank is eager to sell -- an auction may give you a terrific chance to pick up a home at a significant discount to its true market value.
Another way to make money from foreclosures is when you negotiate with the bank with a short sale. This is when the homeowner agrees to allow you to work directly with the bank and negotitate the loan balance down. In other words, you are making an offer to the bank for less than their mortgage payment with hopes that the bank will accept your offer and sell the house less than the loan balance.
Short sales are a powerful method to obtain equity on the property just by making an offer directly with the bank.
Finally, if the property is not sold at public auction, the bank must buy the property itself. If that occurs, the bank will usually be more motivated to get the property off its books. This gives you bargaining power!
These bargains are called REO's or Real Estate Owned properties.
So there you have the four of the main and most basic foreclosure investment opportunities in this foreclosure market. With the right strategy in place, and an eye for a good deal, there's no doubt that you can make huge money in this lucrative area of property investing. Now is the time to take action and http://www.thenoteservice.com/ can help you take a quantum leap into this lucrative niche.
Friday, February 29, 2008
How to Buy a Bank Owned Home
How to buy bank owned properties (REO)
There is a lot of interest in buying bank owned properties these days. A lot of information, some good and some bad, is floating around about the subject. Often the information offered is for sale, with the promise that you can make a lot of money with little effort once you know "the secret formula". The fact is that there are no secrets, and to make money does require effort.
What's an REO?
REO stands for "Real Estate Owned". These are properties that have gone through foreclosure and are now owned by the bank or mortgage company. This is not the same as a property up for foreclosure auction. When buying a property during a foreclosure sale, you must pay at least the loan balance plus any interest and other fees accumulated during the foreclosure process. You must also be prepared to pay with cash in hand. And on top of all that, you'll receive the property 100% "as is". That could include existing liens and even current occupants that need to be evicted. A REO, by contrast, is a much "cleaner" and attractive transaction. The REO property did not find a buyer during foreclosure auction. The bank now owns it. The bank will see to the removal of tax liens, evict occupants if needed and generally prepare for the issuance of a title insurance policy to the buyer at closing. Do be aware that REO's may be exempt from normal disclosure requirements. In California, for example, banks are exempt from giving a Transfer Disclosure Statement, a document that normally requires sellers to tell you about any defects they are aware of.
Is it a bargain?
It's commonly assumed that any REO must be a bargain and an opportunity for easy money. This simply isn't true. You have to be very careful about buying a REO if your intent is to make money off of it. While it's true that the bank is typically anxious to sell it quickly, they are also strongly motivated to get as much as they can for it. When considering the value of a REO, you need to look closely at comparable sales in the neighborhood and be sure to take into account the time and cost of any repairs or remodeling needed to prepare the house for resale. The bargains with money making potential exist, and many people do very well buying foreclosures. But there are also many REO's that are not good buys and not likely to turn a profit.
Ready to make an offer?
Most banks have a REO department that you'll work with in buying a REO property from them. Typically the REO department will use a listing agent to get their REO properties listed on the local MLS. Before making your offer, you'll want to contact either the listing agent or REO department at the bank and find out as much as you can about what they know about the condition of the property and what their process is for receiving offers. Since banks almost always sell REO properties "as is", you'll want to be sure and include an inspection contingency in your offer that gives you time to check for hidden damage and terminate the offer if you find it. As with making any offer on real estate, you'll make your offer more attractive if you can include documentation of your ability to pay, such as a pre-approval letter from a lender. After you've made your offer, you can expect the bank to make a counter offer. Then it will be up to you to decide whether to accept their counter, or offer a counter to the counter offer. Realize, you'll be dealing with a process that probably involves multiple people at the bank, and they don't work evenings or weekends. It's not unusual for the process of offers and counter offers to take days or even weeks.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Buying A Bank Owned Home (REO)
Is Buying A Bank Owned Home (REO) Property a good move?
The real estate market is in its second year of decline and there are many buyers who are looking at buying a foreclosed or bank owned home. In fact, there are many bank owned properties on the market right now and it is projected that the number will increase through the summer of 2008.
For a free list of banks offering bank owned properties, also known as reo properties, go to http://www.thenoteservice.com/free-bank-owned-listings.html
Buying a foreclosed home is not right for everyone and it does not mean that you are going to get a home at a low price. It takes a lot of effort and time to find the right property. I know many investors who pursue properties in the bank owned market who claim they may have to look at 30 homes before finding one worth purchasing.
So this is not an approach that one should take on lightly. Great deals do not come in the bank owned market and it is one can end up with a property that requires a lot of repair and could cost more in the end. But there are some good buys on the market if you spend the time to find them.
There are two main ways of purchasing bank owned homes. The first is in the normal real estate market where properties are offered through real estate agents. The second is through the auction market where the home is sold to the highest bidder.
Auctions
The auction process is the riskier approach to buying a property I recommend that you only pursue auctions if:
1) You know how to properly research a property
2) You know about the building or remodeling trades so that you can assess the condition of a home
3) You have a lot of time to do proper investigation and you are not in a hurry to move
4) You can afford a potential loss of your deposit-sometimes you will win a bid only to later find out the property is not right for you
Why is the auction process riskier? When a property is purchased at auction the buyer does not have a traditional due diligence period to investigate the property. So before you go to the auction you need to so some research on the property. What you are looking for is:
• how much is owed on the mortgages
• if there are liens against the property
• if there are taxes due to the municipalities
An auctioned property is not going to deliver the title to you free and clear of encumbrances. So it is up to you to pay off any liens on the property. This, of course, adds to the total cost of the home.
You also may not have much time to inspect the property. In fact, you may not get to see the inside of it at all. So before the auction try to look at it if you can. Looking at the outside is usually easy, just drive or walk by the property, if it is vacant you may be able to peer in the windows. (I urge you to get permission before going on the property.) What you want to do is get an idea of the condition of the property so you can determine how much it will cost to repair, if repairs are needed. Some things to look at:
• the condition of the roof
• the condition of the exterior- does it need paint or repairs
• the condition of the interior -does it need kitchen or bath updating?
• the condition of the heating systems
• the condition of the plumbing
These are the major cost items with one exception. If the house is not on a public sewer system then it may have a private septic system.
Septic systems can be very expensive to replace and there is no easy way to determine the condition short of having an inspector check it out. It is unlikely that you will have the access or time to perform such an inspection.
Real Estate Markets
Banks often attempt to market properties in the normal real estate markets using real estate agents. To find these homes contact a local real estate agent or search through the local Multiple listing services at your favorite real estate web site.
Why is this a better way to shop for a bank owned home? First, there will often be more information about the home available. Real estate agents will often do some preliminary information gathering and will make it available to you. Second, you will have the opportunity to look at the house, both inside and out, to check its condition. Third, yo will be able to make an offer that has a due diligence period so that you can do proper inspections of the home to uncover defects. This way you know exactly what you are buying. In the event you find a major defect in the home during inspections you have the opportunity to back out of the purchase and get your deposit money back (make sure this contingency is included in your offer to purchase)
Buyers who want a bank owned property but may not have the skill to properly investigate on their own, this is a great approach. If you do find a bank owned home you love and decide to make an offer be prepared to wait for a response to your offer. Banks are not very responsive. It could take 1 week or more for a decision on your offer and 4 weeks is not uncommon.
The real estate market is in its second year of decline and there are many buyers who are looking at buying a foreclosed or bank owned home. In fact, there are many bank owned properties on the market right now and it is projected that the number will increase through the summer of 2008.
For a free list of banks offering bank owned properties, also known as reo properties, go to http://www.thenoteservice.com/free-bank-owned-listings.html
Buying a foreclosed home is not right for everyone and it does not mean that you are going to get a home at a low price. It takes a lot of effort and time to find the right property. I know many investors who pursue properties in the bank owned market who claim they may have to look at 30 homes before finding one worth purchasing.
So this is not an approach that one should take on lightly. Great deals do not come in the bank owned market and it is one can end up with a property that requires a lot of repair and could cost more in the end. But there are some good buys on the market if you spend the time to find them.
There are two main ways of purchasing bank owned homes. The first is in the normal real estate market where properties are offered through real estate agents. The second is through the auction market where the home is sold to the highest bidder.
Auctions
The auction process is the riskier approach to buying a property I recommend that you only pursue auctions if:
1) You know how to properly research a property
2) You know about the building or remodeling trades so that you can assess the condition of a home
3) You have a lot of time to do proper investigation and you are not in a hurry to move
4) You can afford a potential loss of your deposit-sometimes you will win a bid only to later find out the property is not right for you
Why is the auction process riskier? When a property is purchased at auction the buyer does not have a traditional due diligence period to investigate the property. So before you go to the auction you need to so some research on the property. What you are looking for is:
• how much is owed on the mortgages
• if there are liens against the property
• if there are taxes due to the municipalities
An auctioned property is not going to deliver the title to you free and clear of encumbrances. So it is up to you to pay off any liens on the property. This, of course, adds to the total cost of the home.
You also may not have much time to inspect the property. In fact, you may not get to see the inside of it at all. So before the auction try to look at it if you can. Looking at the outside is usually easy, just drive or walk by the property, if it is vacant you may be able to peer in the windows. (I urge you to get permission before going on the property.) What you want to do is get an idea of the condition of the property so you can determine how much it will cost to repair, if repairs are needed. Some things to look at:
• the condition of the roof
• the condition of the exterior- does it need paint or repairs
• the condition of the interior -does it need kitchen or bath updating?
• the condition of the heating systems
• the condition of the plumbing
These are the major cost items with one exception. If the house is not on a public sewer system then it may have a private septic system.
Septic systems can be very expensive to replace and there is no easy way to determine the condition short of having an inspector check it out. It is unlikely that you will have the access or time to perform such an inspection.
Real Estate Markets
Banks often attempt to market properties in the normal real estate markets using real estate agents. To find these homes contact a local real estate agent or search through the local Multiple listing services at your favorite real estate web site.
Why is this a better way to shop for a bank owned home? First, there will often be more information about the home available. Real estate agents will often do some preliminary information gathering and will make it available to you. Second, you will have the opportunity to look at the house, both inside and out, to check its condition. Third, yo will be able to make an offer that has a due diligence period so that you can do proper inspections of the home to uncover defects. This way you know exactly what you are buying. In the event you find a major defect in the home during inspections you have the opportunity to back out of the purchase and get your deposit money back (make sure this contingency is included in your offer to purchase)
Buyers who want a bank owned property but may not have the skill to properly investigate on their own, this is a great approach. If you do find a bank owned home you love and decide to make an offer be prepared to wait for a response to your offer. Banks are not very responsive. It could take 1 week or more for a decision on your offer and 4 weeks is not uncommon.
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