First check and see what the other home’s in the area are selling for, what is the climate of the neighborhood and is the area located in a flood plan.  After you have found a home that is selling for a great deal below the average cost in that area STOP!

Smell the roses and look for the thorns, get involved with a real estate agent if you are new in the business of real estate investments.  Wrong decisions here can mean your first investment will be your last investment.  Consult with a professional real estate agent that specializes in buying homes in this market area, better yet, one that specializes in foreclosure investment properties.

Next, contact a licensed real estate inspector who has extensive experience with foreclosed or reposed property inspections.  Compare their qualifications, but also their quality of home inspection reports.  The inspection report is only as good as the paper it is presented on.  Trash in equal’s trash out, a poorly written inspection report will not benefit you in making the final purchase decision. 

Have the home inspected, asks the inspector; if they were you, would they buy the home for investment purposes.  If they are hesitant to answer that question, you may have hired the wrong inspector.  OK, ask them that question before you hire them.  They should be more than willing to give you an honest answer at the conclusion of the inspection process.  Most professional real estate inspectors will give you a rough estimate of the cost of needed repairs.

Most of the homes that are foreclosed have been legally reposed by the lean holder, they are normally eager to sell the property, but not always eager to have the property inspected.  Most often the utilities are disconnected to these properties get involved with your real estate agent to negotiate with the lean home to have the utilities turned on and schedule your inspections accordingly. 

The house is generally sold at 20-35% discounted rate of the market value. Therefore the investor can purchase the house, repair it and resell it to make a huge profit.  Take the selling price, add in the estimated cost of repairs and determine if this is a profitable investment for you.  Be careful on you first couple investment properties that you do not get in over your head and purchase a home that requires extensive or timely repairs.  Always be aware of homes that have significant damage to the roof, foundation, electrical systems or homes with excessive termite or water damage.

Buying a foreclosure can ensure a lot of money in just a short amount of time. It is definitely a good investment to make and especially when the market for distressed homes is continuously growing. 

However, once you have bought the house, you should repair it and refurbish it so that you can put it back in the market at its after repaired cost. This will give you a huge profit margin. But to get that profit margin you must make sure that the debt’s are not very close to the market value of the house. If it is, it will be best if you move on to another property in the hopes of buying it.

Sincerely,

Robert Welch, PRI

Houston Professional Real Estate Inspector

http:www.atexinspects.com

Robert@atexinspects.com

This article contains information about buying bank foreclosed properties for investment purposes.  Do you homework, hire a team of professionals who specialize in foreclosed properties and by all means have the property inspected by a professional real estate inspector.

Robert Welch,
Professional Real Estate Inspector
Houston, Texas
www.atexinspects.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/buying-foreclosure-properties-for-investment-purposes-980055.html

Prevent foreclosure is currently a hot topic. Millions of borrowers are struggling to make their mortgage payment. With rapidly declining housing prices, many owe more than their property is worth. The credit crisis has left debtors unable refinance their loan; leaving homeowners with few options to save their home.

It is important to do everything possible to prevent foreclosure. First and foremost, foreclosure exposes people to the very real possibility of homelessness. No one wants to live in a shelter, their car, or on the streets. Programs exist to help people in financial crisis.

If you are facing foreclosure and fearful you will end up being homeless, now is the time to seek out assistance programs in your area. These programs take time to implement and can take weeks to receive financial aid.

Those fortunate enough to have some money stashed away should contact their lender and inquire about obtaining a loan modification. When borrowers become delinquent with their payment by 31 days, banks often turn their account over to their loss mitigation department.

This department is comprised of loss mitigators whose primary function is to help distressed homeowners prevent foreclosure. The first option is usually a loan modification. When a mortgage loan is modified the terms are permanently altered. If the borrower is unable to adhere to the modification, the lender can commence with foreclosure action.

Each mortgage lender handles delinquent accounts according to their established protocol. Some lenders require borrowers to cure mortgage arrearages prior to modifying the loan. Others require a partial payment toward delinquent amounts. A few lenders will roll the delinquent amount to the end of the mortgage note and extend repayment terms.

When borrowers do not qualify for a loan modification, banks will sometimes allow them to enter into a short sale agreement. With short sales, lenders accept less than is owed on the home loan in exchange for quickly selling the property.

Short selling a home will prevent foreclosure as long as the borrower is able to locate a qualified buyer. Most short sale homes must be sold through a realtor. When possible, it is best to work with realtors who possess experience with the short sale process.

Obtaining short sale approval is a long and complicated process. Borrowers are required to submit substantial documentation proving financial distress. Lenders incur a loss on properties sold through short sales and borrowers must prove they do not posses any assets which could be used to repay the mortgage note.

Obtaining short sale approval is a long and complicated process. Homeowners must provide substantial documentation to prove financial distress. Since lenders incur a loss on short sale properties, borrowers must prove financial distress in order to obtain approval.

One little known secret to selling short sale homes quickly is to locate private real estate investors. Many investors seek out preforeclosure homes because they can be purchased below market value and are generally good investments.

It is a smart idea to work with investors who specialize in short sales. At present, banks accept about one of every ten short sale requests. Borrowers can improve their chance of success by working with experienced professionals who understand the intricacies of the short sale process.

Although your situation may seem hopeless, there is always a solution to every problem. If you need help obtaining short sale approval contact your lender or locate a short sale specialist today. Procrastinating will only make matters worse and eventually lead to foreclosure.

Simon Volkov is a highly respected professional who specializes in helping homeowners prevent foreclosure. Simon has engaged in hundreds of successful short sale transactions. If you need assistance selling your home to satisfy a short sale agreement, visit www.SimonVolkov.com today.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/prevent-foreclosure-an-overview-of-short-sales-and-loan-modifications-977904.html

Yes, You Can Buy Foreclosures With Lousy Credit

     My personal favorite place to get cash for real estate deals is a through a hard money lender. For those of you who don’t know what a hard money lender is, let me explain. Pay close attention to details, because there are only a few sources for hard money loans available today.

A hard money real estate lender is a certain type of lender that loans on the future equity of the house after repaired value. Unlike conventional lenders, these lenders don’t care about what the house is worth at the present time. They don’t even want to know; all they care about is what the house is going to be worth after it is fixed up and ready to sell.

Take a look at some important facts on how hard moneylenders work:

1. They loan on future equity, not what the house is worth.

2. They can close in as little as two weeks.

3. You will not go through nearly as much red tape than if you went through a conventional lender.

4. They give you the money to fix it up in a draw-type system. (If you don’t know what that is, just follow the example below; it will explain everything to you.)

5. Hard money loans are short-term loans; generally 3-6 months.

6. They generally loan as much as 65% of after repaired value. For example, if you found a house for sale for $20,000 in as-is condition and it would be worth $60,000 after repairs, the hard money lender would loan you as much as $39,000, which would leave you with almost twenty thousand dollars to hire someone you’ve found to help bring the house into a livable condition.

7. Hard moneylenders usually do not require a down payment. You heard me right—no money down. A conventional lender almost always requires at least 20% down with good credit for an investor property. However, depending on how bad your credit is, you may have to pay a small fee, but some hard moneylenders can even finance that fee directly into your loan; you just need to ask them about that.

8. And last but definitely not least—they will give you money even if you have bad credit, no pay stubs or no tax returns. This really opens doors for most entrepreneurs. Let’s face it—all of us who’ve ventured out on our own to start our own businesses probably have some bad credit from past bad opportunities, and some pretty pitiful tax returns that a conventional lender would laugh at. So these hard money loans are a second chance for us to make some serious money in real estate. By the way, I can get a conventional mortgage now anyway, but I personally still use hard money loans because what they offer surpasses any conventional loan program I’ve ever heard of.

Find the deals, get approved and make some huge paychecks.

Gary Mitchell,

www.homeforeclosureincome.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/yes-you-can-buy-foreclosures-with-lousy-credit-975596.html

A few months ago, all I could think about was "how to stop my foreclosure". Our mortgage adjusted, payments doubled and I was a stressed out lunatic.

I had to calm down, because I didn’t want to end up with a foreclosure on my credit record and a divorce to boot. My wife sensed I was very stressed out and cut me some slack.

We called our lender time and time again, but nothing worked. I was a contractor and work was slowing down to a crawl. Finally, it became quite apparent to me that I was going to lose my house and I started to look for rentals to move to.

One day, a friend told me to look up a company online. He said they helped out his neighbor. I really had nothing to lose, so I checked it out. It was a stop foreclosure service, but it was different.

An attorney challenges your loan in many ways and this immediately freezes your mortgage until the case is settled. This meant I would not have to pay my mortgage for 4 months to even years if it was tied up long enough.

There are no credit ramifications to this and no interest or late fees can build up either. It sounded pretty good, but what does this accomplish?

Well, after speaking with them, I learned that for a small fee they could perform this service for me. The major benefit is that you get to save up your money for months or years and then decide the best course of action. You also get to stay in your home much longer. When they challenge your loan, they also look for inconsistencies and misrepresentations made by your lender or its employees. If these are found, you may be due financial relief. Also, it could make your lender much more likely to renegotiate your mortgage payments to something more affordable when the case is settled.

There is a money back guarantee and they have a 100% success rate so far, so Im going for it. No longer will I wonder how to stop my foreclosure.

For more information on this service to stop foreclosure and freeze your mortgage payments, please visit the following links: stop my home foreclosure or how to stop my foreclosure

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/how-to-stop-my-foreclosure-919911.html

One of the biggest myths prevailing in the mind of customers is that if you do not have very deep pockets, buying a house for yourself can turn out to be a distant dream. This can be true for expansive pieces of real estate but when one can purchase foreclosure homes at fraction of their actual market price, the myth stands shattered. Everybody can aspire and achieve their dream homes by purchasing foreclosure properties provided they spend some quality time researching and preparing themselves for the task.

Advantages of purchasing foreclosure properties

People purchase foreclosure properties for variety of reasons. But the underlying theme is same. They are getting a wonderful property at a price which is way below its actual market worth and therefore is within their budgets and reach. Therefore, to purchase foreclosure home turns out to be a lucrative proposition for them.
Many first-time buyers purchase foreclosure home to turn it into their abodes. They can easily spend the money saved in the purchase in renovation of the house and making it conducive to their needs and requirements. Such buyers should not purchase the property just because it was cheap but should thoroughly consider whether they will be able to live comfortably in these houses for years to come or not.
Many investors purchase foreclosure home as an investment. They fix it up and later sell these houses, making huge margins in the bargain. Such investors should, however, carefully scrutinize all the legal documents related to the house and should also check for legalities like lien on the house which may hinder their title in the future. They should also consider the location and the history of the house as it will play a crucial role in the future sales.

When to purchase foreclosure property?

You can always find attractive deals in the pre-foreclosure stage, when the property has not still been foreclosed by the bank but is on the way to become foreclosed. At this stage the current owner himself is looking to sell the house to ward off the financial crisis threatening him and can easily agree to your proposal. Later, you can always purchase through auctions or by directly approaching the bank, etc.

Myself webmaster of http://www.lendermustsell.com – A source of bank foreclosed property where you can purchase foreclosure properties ,bank owned foreclosed properties, purchase foreclosure homes Bank foreclosed homes.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/foreclosure-property-within-everybodys-budget-918833.html

Sometimes, an individual/proprietor is not able pay the amount overdue against his name on account of home, for no matter whatever reason – whether it is loss of job, health, or death or if the home is taken over by a finance or mortgage company. Under such circumstances, once the legal formalities are over, the propriety or the house is termed as foreclosure. When finance company or mortgage firm or the bank has the possession, they more than often tend to place the home in foreclosure homes listing.

The intention of the foreclosure homes listing is to sell the home/ propriety as promptly as possible. A foreclosed home is more than often obtainable at a great deal lesser cost than its actual market value. The banks or mortgage firms, who are in possession of these distressed properties, wish to dispose of them as soon as possible. With the intention of drawing more and more customers, they cut down the prices of these properties to a great extent.

These kinds of home make available an exceptional opportunity to bidders for houses and real estate investors by presenting to them a prospect to acquire properties for sale for far less than its standard market value.

Fundamental Elements of Foreclosed Homes Listing

If you want to buy foreclosures property, you must understand the listings. A foreclosed homes listing compiles research gathered on real estate markets in every state and then create a comprehensive, searchable database of foreclosures for sale. A number of the essential basics listed out in an online foreclosure listing include:

• Addresses of such available properties

• Detailed description about their physical condition

• Comprehensive account of the neighborhood area

• Estimated price

• Date of auction

• Contact person or real estate agent

• Status of foreclosure

• A virtual view of the property so that the potential bidders can see a video of the available properties.

While buying foreclosed property, you are required to be cautious, because a lot of of the laws that guard or defend your rights in an otherwise conventional real estate deal may not be relevant to a foreclosed property. So once must be extra careful.

Myself webmaster of http://www.lendermustsell.com – A source of bank foreclosed property where you can find Foreclosed Homes Listing ,bank owned foreclosed properties, buy foreclosures property and bank foreclosed homes.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/want-to-buy-foreclosures-property-look-up-for-foreclosed-homes-listing-918931.html

MAKING THE BEST OF A BAD SITUATION:

How to Defer Capital Gains Tax Liability on a Commercial Foreclosure

Unsuspecting commercial investors are driving to the bank to turn in their keys on projects that did not workout as planned and waking up the following year with an unexpected tax headache. The discharge of the loan can result in a capital gains tax liability. Not only did the clients lose whatever equity they had in the property, but they also face capital gains tax liability for simply how they transferred the property to the bank!

Individuals confuse the property’s tax impacts with the property’s economics. However, these two calculations are different. For tax purposes gain or loss equals the difference between the transfer price to the bank and the adjusted basis. Thus, if you bought a property in 1987 for 700k (your cost basis) and it has been depreciated and now has an adjusted basis of $400K, and it is foreclosed with a 950k loan, this transfer without a 1031 exchange results in a taxable gain of $550K, i.e. $950k transfer price minus the $400K adjusted basis.  ES Group is a Qualified Intermediary pursuant to Internal Revenue Code §1031.                                                                                                              ES Group corresponds with each client’s attorney and/or tax advisor and forwards legal documentation, as requested, so that the Internal Revenue Code §1031 rules and regulations are thoroughly understood. ES Group prepares the necessary documentation- Exchange Agreements, Assignment Agreements, Notice of Assignments, and oversees each closing to assist in proper §1031 procedures. ES Group provides guidance, information and critical timelines throughout the entire exchange.

www.1031esgroup.com

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/how-to-defer-capital-gains-tax-liability-on-a-commercial-foreclosure-917178.html

You have probably seen the infomercials that portray investing in foreclosed houses as a sure money making thing. Talking to people actually buying foreclosures they are saying that buying a foreclosed home to flip or rent out isn’t an easy undertaking. As foreclosure inventory continues to rise it seem the purchase of a foreclosed home is timely but the typical deal comes with more problems than the average do it yourselfer can handle. With that said investing in a foreclosure can be rewarding if you’re willing to do your homework.

Range of Discounts

How much of a discount you need to make a deal work depends on your goals for that property. The shorter the time you intend to hold a property the greater discount you will need.  You should buy homes for 30% off market value if you plan to flip the property, and 10% if you intend to rent it out long term, it must cash flow though.

Buying Opportunities

Foreclosure Auctions: At a foreclosure auction, you buy the house “as is” and you might not be able to do more than look through the windows prior to the auction.  There are no inspection periods for these types of properties.  You could be bidding on a home that has been vandalized or that has severe deterred maintenance. Vacant homes may have water or mold damage. And the property may have legal challenges: liens, difficult-to-evict tenants or, in some states, a mandatory “redemption period” that gives the former owner time to try to get the home back.

REO: REO’s (Real Estate Owned) that lenders have bought back at auction, generally offer the easiest route for foreclosure purchases. With an REO, you won’t become involved with a stressed homeowner facing foreclosure. Although an REO is likely to be sold “as is,” you will have the right to an inspection, a title search and contingencies. Another advantage: You can finance the purchase with a conventional loan, assuming the home is habitable. However, the buyer of an REO is generally not likely to get as deep a discount as an investor in other kinds of foreclosures.

Due Diligence

 It is a great time to by DFW real estate.  It is a good idea to get a professional DFW Realtor on your side to represent your interest.  Although they represent you the seller, in most cases, pays their commission, giving you more money to work with.  Your DFW Realtor can help make sure you do not pay too much for your foreclosed property.  They have access to the DFW MLS and can give you the sales prices of compare sales of similar properties.  Some careful thought and a little faith and you will be on your way to owning a foreclosed home

Harry Ridge, the Broker of VIP Realty Platinum, has more than 23 years in the industry and has the knowledge and experience to lead his Real Estate Team in any market environment. Serving the DFW Real Estate Market & Plano Real Estate Market.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/dfw-foreclosure-opportunities-914902.html

Legal foreclosure is the process in which a bank or other creditor takes over the borrower’s property in lieu of the debt they have to pay, using legal means. A foreclosure step is normally taken by the creditor only when the borrower has not paid the loan dues for a very long period. There are two types of foreclosures – strict foreclosure and foreclosure by sale.

When a debtor defaults on his loan due, that is fails to pay the debt, a default foreclosure case arises. In this case, the plaintiff is the bank or creditor while the defendant could be the borrower or borrowers. The plaintiff issues a summons on the debtor applying for foreclosure. The defendant can file an appearance within two days of the Return Date of the summons and file and send an answer to all the concerned parties in the case, before fifteen days of the return date. If the defendant is eligible for protection under unemployment or underemployment head, then protection from foreclosure can be sought.

It is possible to save home from foreclosure by following a few important steps. The first step is to ask for more time from lenders. Creditors are usually willing to wait for the loans to be paid off before plunging into foreclosure – this is known as forbearance. It is also rarely possible to get forgiveness on the debt, in special cases. Banks and other creditors usually are ready to work out a repayment schedule with the debtor (which the debtor can satisfy given his or her current financial position). It then becomes the responsibility of the borrower to stick to the modified repayment plan.

Creditors are also agreeable to modifying the loan terms like decreasing interest rates, waiving some fines for late payment or other types of defaulting etc. Rearranging the loan terms may help the debtor substantially enough to get back in track. Selling the home or property is another option to prevent foreclosure. By getting an idea about the market value for the home from real estate agents, it is possible to sell the property for a good price. By resorting to this step, the loan can be paid off and the home owner is likely to have a considerable amount left over from the sale. During foreclosure, the property may not always fetch the best price as the creditor is only interested in getting their debts paid off.

Another possible way is called pre-foreclosure redeemed. This happens when the home’s worth is less than the pending debt – the lender might be willing to agree to a short sale of the property to pay off at least part of the debt. From the borrower’s point of view, this is better because a short sale has a lesser impact on credit compared to a foreclosure. Deed-in-lieu of foreclosure is another method to avoid actual foreclosure. This is also known as deeding the property back to the lender where the debtor gives the creditor a notarized deed and the creditor forgives the mortgage dues and cancels the foreclosure.

Mike Greaves is a self-made entrepreneur, a well known travel consultant and internet marketer. Over the years he has traveled across the world and has numerous writings credited to his name in many renowned publications. His areas of writing include travel experiences including reviews of luxury hotels Paris and he has also gained expertise in the area of how avoid foreclosure, protection foreclosure and subprime foreclosure.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/real-estate-articles/saving-property-from-foreclosure-910410.html