Pre-foreclosure is a tough period for a home owner, that begi when the bank or the lender starts fo
If you are buying properties directly from the homeowner, most likely you are buying pre-foreclosures or homes that have not yet legally been repo e ed. Although the pre-foreclosure homes owners are usually facing financial difficulties that could lead to losing their homes, they still legally own them and have the right to sell. The pre-foreclosure proce usually lasts for two to three months. In the meantime, the actual homeowners could solve their problems, pay the loan in default and have the house for themselves again. But more than often, this scenario is unlikely to ha en. So, for real estate investors or bargain house hunters this is a good time to invest in the properties, e ecially since the property owners are highly motivated to sell in order not to ruin their credit rating. In order to succe fully purchase a pre-foreclosure property, pre-foreclosures experts recommend a six step guiding procedure.
The first thing to do is to identify pre-foreclosure properties. Loa in default can be located through different mea : reading the new aper cla ifieds or the courthouse public notices, call up lenders or banks, or acce online foreclosure service providers.
The pre-foreclosure listings need to be evaluated so that the pre-foreclosures selection to narrow down to the properties that meet your criteria and that best suit you. More than that, the gro equity in each property must be determined, because this figure also reflects the gro profit potential. If there is little or no difference between the amount of debts and the market price, you better move on to another pre-property. If there is a big difference, there might be enough equity in that particular pre-foreclosure property to bring a su tantial profit.
The third thing to do is to contact the homeowner by phone, email or in person, in order to establish a meeting and i ect the property. You might need to deal with an angry homeowner, so be polite and show some understanding for his dilemma. Also, during the meeting, which has to take place at the property, you should check the loan, mortgage and i urance documents, as well as the foreclosure notices.
After seeing the pre-foreclosure property, you are now able to determine the market value, the fix-up costs, and the potential sales price and profit. Dont forget to calculate all legitimate expe es a ociated with buying, repairing, carrying and selling the property. The all-inclusive figure is your offer.
State your offer to the homeowner. This bottom line figure has to pay the homeowner for his property and generate a profit for you. Dont expect everything to go smooth. You need to negotiate with the homeowner and the lender. Usually, pre-foreclosures discounts off market can range from 20% to 35% on average. With the lenders you can work out flexible sales agreements and low cash down payments.
After you reached an agreement with the homeowner and the lender, its time you close on the pre-foreclosure property and start the repair or refurbishing works. Have the property prepared for re-sale. Or you could keep it and rent it out so it brings an extra income for you.