Learn Profitable Short Sale Investing

The advantage to buying a property at a foreclosure auction is that you can often pay far less than you would have under normal circumstances. Frequently you can invest in improvements and then sell the home for a much higher price than your cost.

The disadvantages and risks are more numerous. Simply to participate in the auction you must have sufficient funds available (either cash or a cashierÂ’s check) to cover 10% of the purchase price. You also must be able to arrange for financing within thirty days to complete the purchase or you risk losing your deposit. Next, youÂ’re buying the property as-is, without inspection. The condition of the interior of the home is usually a complete unknown. YouÂ’ll have to be sure that the price you pay is low enough that you can still afford to make significant improvements or repairs.

It’s a sad fact, but many Americans lose their homes to foreclosure every year. Some lenders aren’t always diligent enough in checking a person’s ability to make repayments, and others don’t really care anyway. And of course there are situations where a change in circumstances happens, leading to the homeowners being unable to meet their mortgage obligations.

Whatever the cause of a person getting behind on their mortgage payments, the process from that point onwards is fairly set. Initially, the lender will file a public default notice. This initiates the foreclosure process, and at this point the property officially enters the pre-foreclosure stage.