A Guide to Buying REO Foreclosures in Raleigh
Tuesday, October 28th, 2008A majority of foreclosures in Raleigh are homes that have been foreclosed on by banks. What makes these homes interesting are the discounted prices they are normally sold at. With many financial experts opining now as being a good time to buy homes, foreclosure homes have become interesting options for many home buyers.
REO homes have always been looked upon as the safe way to buy foreclosure homes. This is primarily due to the fact that once a bank forecloses on a house; it normally takes care of any other financial obligation linked to the house. This could be unpaid property taxes or any other lien attached to the home. Banks do this to increase the salability of the foreclosed home.
A home becomes a Real Estate Owned property when the home’s title/deed is transferred to the lender who holds the primary mortgage on the house.
Upon continual failure to make the mortgage payments, the home owner is served with a notice which informs him/her of the lender’s intent to sell the home if the default is not fixed within a given period of time. If the home owner is unable to fix the default, the home is put up for sale at a foreclosure auction which has been publicly notified. Titles/deeds of homes that do not sell at auctions are transferred to the relevant lenders.
Different banks are known to employ different tactics in selling foreclosure homes. While some banks sell foreclosed homes through realtors, some others choose to sell them on their own. While some banks advertise their foreclosed homes extensively, some others like to keep their affairs low key.
Looking for REO homes is not rocket science. Banks are more than willing to share their database of foreclosed homes with prospective customers. Real estate agents are a good source of acquiring neighborhood specific REO listings. Going through local newspapers and newsletters can also yield some results.
The internet is a very good source for finding REO homes. There are numerous web sites which offer foreclosure lists. Many of these are very extensive and allow you to base your search on factors like budgets, zip codes, etc.
Once you have a list of REO homes you are interested in, work out a way of having the properties inspected. You could either do it yourself, or hire a professional to do it for you. This is an important aspect of buying a foreclosure home as it gives you a picture of the costs you would have to incur once you buy the house.
While REO homes are generally associated with being great buys, remember, a little caution never hurts anybody.




