Foreclosure Sources For Propery Investors

by Spike Stetson on January 26, 2012

There are several opportunities for real estate investors in today’s market. Investors invest in different ways with varying levels of risk. Knowing the various options available to investors to source properties is the 1st place start when trying to find profitable opportunities.

Most real estate investors in the current day’s market regard repos as a great chance to get properties below neighborhood values. Many banks and administration funded entities often liquidate properties significantly below valuation. This gives investors in real estate the opportunity to purchase properties and turn a profit on the spread between their purchase price and the valuation. There are numerous sources for these types of investing opportunities.

The first source of foreclosure properties are government or government sponsored entities. These entities include the Dept of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and other and less widely known entities like the Department of Veterans Administration and the Dept of Agriculture (USDA). These organisations all have different methodologies for liquidating their foreclosure inventory. Frequently, these associations use listing brokers and a standard real estate model with signage and MLS exposure. An investor can frequently work with a real estate agent to find these kinds of opportunities.

The second type of foreclosure property is the non-government, normal REO foreclosure property. These properties are those in which a bank or mortgage servicer has foreclosed on the property. There are hundreds or possibly thousands of different entities that own these types of property. These are company owners. There are widely varying processes involved in the disposition of real estate in this category. Most entities use a standard approach to selling real estate with a property agent or broker and MLS lists in order to market this inventory. A property investor should also work with a local real-estate agent when making an attempt to find opportunities in this category.

A final common way that properties are foreclosed is in a tax sale or tax foreclosure auction. These sales happen when a local government entity is not paid property taxes that are owed on a parcel. Generally, the local government entities, such as a county or village, will have the ability to foreclose and take possession of the property to sell it at public auction for non-payment. This is done in a way that is distinct to the local rules and regulations in the market in which the property is found. This makes a tax foreclosure auction more unique and localized to the market in which it is located. This also causes some challenges for investors who wish to have a more standardized approach to purchasing properties. The simplest way to find tax foreclosure auction opportunities is to contact the locality in which a possibly desirable property maybe located.

Without reference to the seller of the property, opportunities are frequent in foreclosure properties. Each market is unique and real estate investor needs to evaluate the different entities and the various sales processes in order to reduce risk and maximize potential return. Real Estate Investors frequently favour a certain property type or type of investing. Understanding the various techniques of foreclosure is paramount to being successful.

Tom Webb is a local real estate investor and agent that has purchased many properties at tax sale. MichiganTaxForeclosureAuctions.com provides details on tax foreclosure sales. View the tax sale tips at the site.

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