BUYING REOs/FORECLOSURES
Buying bank owned properties
There
is a lot of interest in buying bank owned properties these days. A lot
of information, some good and some bad, is floating around about the
subject. Often the information offered is for sale, with the promise
that you can make a lot of money with little effort once you know “the
secret formula”. The fact is that there are no secrets, and to make
money does require effort.
What’s an REO?
REO
stands for “Real Estate Owned”. These are properties that have gone
through foreclosure and are now owned by the bank or mortgage company.
This is not the same as a property up for foreclosure auction. When
buying a property during a foreclosure sale, you must pay at least the
loan balance plus any interest and other fees accumulated during the
foreclosure process. You must also be prepared to pay with cash in
hand. And on top of all that, you’ll receive the property 100% “as
is”. That could include existing liens and even current occupants that
need to be evicted. A REO, by contrast, is a much “cleaner” and
attractive transaction. The REO property did not find a buyer during
foreclosure auction. The bank now owns it. The bank will see to the
removal of tax liens, evict occupants if needed and generally prepare
for the issuance of a title insurance policy to the buyer at closing.
Do be aware that REO’s may be exempt from normal disclosure
requirements. In California,
for example, banks are exempt from giving a Transfer Disclosure
Statement, a document that normally requires sellers to tell you about
any defects they are aware of.
Is it a bargain?
It’s
commonly assumed that any REO must be a bargain and an opportunity for
easy money. This simply isn’t true. You have to be very careful about
buying a REO if your intent is to make money off of it. While it’s true
that the bank is typically anxious to sell it quickly, they are also
strongly motivated to get as much as they can for it. When considering
the value of a REO, you need to look closely at comparable sales in the
neighborhood and be sure to take into account the time and cost of any
repairs or remodeling needed to prepare the house for resale. The
bargains with money making potential exist, and many people do very well
buying foreclosures. But there are also many REO’s that are not good
buys and not likely to turn a profit.
Ready to make an offer?
Most banks have a listing agent their REO department works with to list the REO properties on the local MLS. If you are ready to make an offer I will contact the listing agent and/or REO department as your agent and find out as much as I can about what they know about the condition of the property and what their process is for receiving offers. Every bank has different process and paperwork requirements. Since banks almost always sell REO properties “as is”, you’ll want to be sure and include an inspection contingency in your offer that gives you time to check for hidden damage and terminate the offer if you find it. When dealing with REO properties, documentation of your ability to pay, such as a pre-approval letter from a lender, is required. After you’ve made your offer, you can expect the bank to make a counter offer. Then it will be up to you to decide whether to accept their counter, or offer a counter to the counter offer. Realize, as your agent, I’ll be dealing with a process that probably involves multiple people at the bank, and they don’t work evenings or weekends. It’s not unusual for the process of offers and counter offers to take days or even weeks. I will keep you informed every step of the way and every call made if you wish.
-
My Home Tracker
- Save your favorite homes
- Get new property alerts
- Share with friends and family
-
Home Values
Find and compare local neighborhood home values