Interesting Facts About Bank Owned REO Properties

By Michelle Howe


Buying and selling bank owned REO properties can be a profitable venture. Prospective homeowners can purchase the homes of their dreams without having to spend too much money on the purchase. REO stands for Real Estate Owned by banks. They are properties that have been foreclosed on and need to be sold so that the lender can recover its money. Buying these properties is much different from purchasing properties that have not been foreclosed on.

When property owners fail to service their mortgages as agreed, lenders have the legal option of initiating foreclosure proceedings to recover the principal amount plus interest. This is normally done by selling the asset through a public auction. Once the notice of default has been sent, the borrower has only 3 months to make up for the default or the property will be auctioned.

There is normally a reserve price in any auction. When bids are lower than the reserve price, the ownership of the property cannot be transferred to the highest bidder. When foreclosures are being sold at a public auction and this happens, the lender gets to own the asset. Consequently, the property is tagged REO.

Buying property that is already undergoing foreclosure can be a very tedious process involving a lot of paperwork, and time-consuming. Short sales, pre-foreclosure sales and auction sales are often complicated. In judicial processes, property transactions cannot be completed immediately because the law gives the property owner the right to reclaim the property within 12 months. This means that if the homeowner gets the money to pay off the outstanding balance of the loan, he or she can reclaim the asset.

REO assets normally come with clean titles with the bank as the legal owner. Real estate agents are normally contracted to sell these properties at the most suitable prices. Since the bank is the legal owner, the transaction is fairly simple and straightforward compared to pre-foreclosure sales. It also takes a very short time to complete.

Being familiar with the market in which you wish to purchase a property is important. You may think that you have landed a great deal only to find out later on that property prices in the area are much lower than what you paid. Some research on that specific market therefore needs to be done. Before you buy any property, it is important that you hire an expert to inspect it for structural damage, mold and water damage among other things.

You cannot make an offer if you do not have the money ready. Therefore, you need to arrange for financing with your bank before you make an offer. Great deals often do not stay on the market for long. They are usually bought very fast. There is therefore need to prepare yourself and act very fast to ensure that you get the property you want.

Repairs and renovations may need to be done on bank owned REO properties. You therefore need to include these costs in your budget. Finding these deals is very easy nowadays because there are numerous listings on the internet that have these assets. What you need to do is search the web for deals that meet your requirements.




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