Pre-foreclosures – Why Real Estate Gurus Prefer Them
Due to the recent real estate collapse, many people across the United States are losing their homes to foreclosure. The period of time before the official foreclosure is called pre-foreclosure. Depending on the state the pre-foreclosure period lasts from seven days to a 60 days. Real estate experts know that the pre-foreclosure period is a great time to purchase a home.
Many houses that are ‘for sale by owner’ are houses that are in a period of pre-foreclosure. The lenders sometimes allow the homeowners to try to sell their home before foreclosing it. The banks are not in the real estate business themselves and would rather the owners sell the home instead of (the lenders) having to foreclose it.
Here are several reasons that real estate experts feel it’s a better to purchase a home during the pre-foreclosure period instead of waiting to buy a foreclosed home at a government auction:
- Pre-foreclosed houses are often cheaper considering as it’s being sold by a home owner that is in a hurry to sell to avoid facing foreclosure and the bad credit that goes along with it.
- Since you won’t be at an auction, you will be given more time to talk to the home owner about any questions you may have concerning the house.
- There is usually less competition for a pre-foreclosed home than a auctioned foreclosed home. You won’t have to worry about placing the highest bid.
- The situation allows for more time to evaluate your finances.
- Auctions can be a skill in itself and many people are not comfortable in that environment.
- You can bring an inspector along with you to inspect a pre-foreclosed home.
- You don’t need as much cash up front like you would at an auction. You can pay a down payment for as low as a few hundred dollars!
Always check to make sure that the pre-foreclosed home you’re interested in has no liens or judgements against it. You should also bring along someone to inspect the home for you so you’ll know of any problems. The risks in purchasing a pre-foreclosed home are similar to purchasing a home the traditional way, only a lot less expensive.
