Foreclosure is the term for a bank taking back real estate when the owner has defaulted on a mortgage. Understanding the process of foreclosure and what steps you need to take in acquiring foreclosed property for investment, or a home to live in, can be very useful.

It is quite easy to find Bank foreclosure properties selling for 50% of the potential remodeled value. You may want to focus on bank foreclosure listings that are selling for 65% to 80% of the market value. Some of these homes have been paid on for many years and a good deal of the mortgage has been paid. With other bank foreclosures, the lender, not wanting to deal with repairs on the property, may be persuaded to accept less than is owed on the property.

Homes that are in pre-foreclosure will be in foreclosure very soon. On 'For Sale by Owner' sites, there are quite a few people trying to sell their home just to pay off the mortgage and save their credit rating.

You may be able to gain information by visiting your county clerk or county recorder's office. All public records, including real estate documents, are recorded and filed at this office. These are all public records and you may have access to them whenever you need. These records contain contact information for the property owner so you will be able to reach them and negotiate a price that will allow them to pay off their debt and give you a discount as well. There are also a couple of free sites for foreclosure listings that include bank foreclosure listings. You will find all types of foreclosure listings on these websites, including government foreclosure listings.

Once a property is in foreclosure, you will be dealing with the lender only. The lender's main goal is to recoup the amount of the outstanding loan, not make money on the deal. The sooner you contact the bank about the foreclosure property, the more money you are likely to save. You have the following options when buying bank foreclosures.

• The pre-foreclosure option ? negotiate with the owner to buy the foreclosed property.


• Purchase the property from the bank, before it goes to auction.


• Bid on the property at a bank sponsored auction.

If you will be doing a good deal of business buying distressed properties and bank foreclosures on a regular basis, it would be a good idea to establish a good relationship with the banks in your area.

The bank has no interest in owning real estate and they will want to be rid of it as quickly as possible. Banks deal with cash which is a liquid asset -- they do not normally sell real estate. Banks needs to stay as liquid as possible.

When you contact any bank about foreclosure information, don't ask for a list of distressed properties. Rather ask about specific properties you are interested in, as a bank will prefer to work with someone who knows what they are looking for. If you want an idea of what the bank will accept as a payoff, ask them for a list of properties they have sold in the past six months.

More info on your stop foreclosure information search:

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