Charleston Real Estate Blog

Friday, January 23, 2009

Pre-Foreclosure 101

A lot of people have been asking about foreclosures and short sales these days. Often times the conversation begins with how to define these terms. To begin with, a Short Sale is when a bank allows a home owner to sell their property for less than the bank is owed on the mortgage.
A property enters pre-foreclosure after the owner misses a number of mortgage payments (usually three or more) and thus defaults on the loan secured by the property. At that point the lender files either a Notice of Default or Lis Pendens (pending lawsuit) against the borrower/owner.
During the pre-foreclosure period, the owner may be able to stop the foreclosure by paying off what is owed (known as curing or reinstating the loan), by selling the property or by transferring ownership of the property to the bank (known as a deed in lieu of foreclosure). If the owner does nothing to stop the foreclosure, the property will be sold at a public foreclosure auction at the end of the pre-foreclosure period. The length of the pre-foreclosure period is determined by state law.
Buying a property that is in pre-foreclosure involves creating a win-win-win scenario for everyone involved — the owner who gets out from under the property he can’t afford without damaging his credit, the lender who doesn’t want to be a property owner to begin with, and the buyer who purchases the property at a substantial discount.
Creating such a winning scenario takes persistence, careful research of profit potential and a willingness to walk away from deals that don’t make sense financially. But a properly structured pre-foreclosure purchase usually allows you to buy property at a discounted price.
Buying during pre-foreclosure also offers some distinct advantages over buying at other stages in the foreclosure process. Unlike buying at a public auction, you don’t have to produce a large amount of cash on the spot and you’re able to conduct a full inspection of the property before taking ownership. And unlike buying a bank-owned property, you don’t have to pad your offer price with the extra tens of thousands of dollars that it can cost a bank to completely foreclose and repossess a property.
There are currently over 330 pre-foreclosure properties listed in the Charleston area. If you'd like more details on these properties let me know.

6 Comments:

  • Thank you. I hope that you know this. There are ways to stop foreclosure that the average person is not aware of and those are the same people that end up walking away from their home, when there were other options available. The first step would be to talk with your lender to see if they are willing to help you stop foreclosure, but after that, you need to enlist the help of a professional foreclosure prevention company.




    stopping foreclosure ocala

    By Blogger Unknown, At June 6, 2011 at 6:36 PM  

  • Thank you for the information. But we should think positively about the foreclosure issues so that this will be solved easily and not without complication.


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    By Blogger Unknown, At June 9, 2011 at 5:12 PM  

  • In case your home is about to be foreclosed on, there are different things you can do to stop this process before it starts. You need to act fast; the earlier you decide to do this, the better your chances will be. Talk with your lender they usually have different options available to suit your needs.

    Cleveland Foreclosure Attorneys

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At September 2, 2011 at 3:40 AM  

  • Foreclosure guidance is something a home-owner should seek right away whenever they be aware that they may be having troubles making their home loan payments. It is important that an individual in this case taking action immediately as penalties and interest can compile quicker than most would want to think.

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    By Anonymous Anonymous, At September 15, 2011 at 11:38 AM  

  • Borrowers who seek foreclosure help early are much more likely to work out a solution, no matter how dire their situation. Based on your situation, your lender may be able to provide the foreclosure help that you need.

    Ocala Foreclosure Lawyer

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At September 21, 2011 at 3:42 PM  

  • The foreclosure process begins whenever a homeowner, or borrower, does not generate a payment as dictated by the loan’s amortization schedule, that's, the schedule of premiums in order that the home mortgage is repaid 100 % by the end in the term from the loan.

    Foreclosure Lawyers Orlando

    By Anonymous Anonymous, At September 22, 2011 at 11:05 AM  

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