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.

Many Realtors agree that buying a pre-foreclosed home is an excellent idea. Here are many advantages to buying a pre-foreclosed home from a homeowner rather than a foreclosed home at a government auction:

- A pre-foreclosed home could actually be cheaper then foreclosure because you are dealing one-on-one with an owner who desperately wants to avoid foreclosure.

- 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 will probably be less competition for a pre-foreclosed home than a foreclosed home at an auction. You won?t have to worry about placing the highest bid.

- You won?t have to worry about becoming frustrated from losing a bid.

- Auctions can be annoying for some people. Some people become very angry when they are outbid.

- You have more time to have a pre-foreclosed home inspected than you would at an auction. You will be aware of any potential problems the house may have.

- You don’t need all the 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 it may have. The risks in purchasing a pre-foreclosed home are similar to purchasing a home the traditional way, only a lot less expensive! You can even resell the pre-foreclosed home for more money than you purchased it for.

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.

In this current real estate crisis, many people are loosing their homes either because they can’t make the payments or are walking away because their house is worth less then the amount owed. It was reported by CNBC on July 24 that foreclosures now represent half of all the homes sold in the US. Although this is downright scary to a highly leveraged homeowner or speculator this is also an opportunity of a lifetime for anyone looking to buy real estate at these depressed prices.

If you look at any successful real estate investor, they have accumulated much of their wealth by buying when there was a downturn in the market. Donald Trump is a good example of someone who was buying up real estate real when everyone else was selling as illustrated in the quote. “When I first started out in Manhattan, everyone was saying what a terrible market it was, and if I’d listened to them, I would not be where I am today. There are always opportunities.” Donald Trump.

Many real estate experts including Donald Trump agree that now is a great time to invest in real estate and understand that pre-forecloses offer one of the best, if not the best, real estate opportunities.

The great thing about buying a pre-foreclosed home is that you are dealing one-on-one with the owner and have a chance to ask questions and inspect the house. Since the bank has time to evaluate the property there is a higher probability of being granted a mortgage.

It is important to understand the surrounding community or macro aspects when purchasing a pre-foreclosed home. Here are some macro aspects to consider:

- Look around the neighborhood to see how many homes are being foreclosed. It’s best that the house you’re considering for purchase is the only one facing foreclosure. Obviously the more homes in forced sale, the more likely the properties will depreciate.

- Check with the local tenants to see what the rent levels are and whether they have been increasing or decreasing over the last little while.

- How strong is the economy at the town and county levels? Is the current employment rate growing or stagnating?

- Check with local authorities to become informed about any infrastructure projects that may be planned within the next two or three years. Things such as new buildings and highways being built or corporations moving into town can be a positive indication of future growth.

- Demographically if there is a high number of elderly people living in town who are home owners, then there could be an over supply of housing in the future, as they move in with family or nursing homes for care.

If you do your due diligence and find positive answers to these questions when considering a pre-foreclosure then you can feel secure that it is a good community in which to invest. Successful real estate investors buy discounted properties at the right location at the right time.