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01 June 2013

What You Need To Know 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.

Failing to pay a mortgage according to the specified terms and conditions leads to foreclosure. Before the auction, the lender is required to send a notice of default to the defaulting property owner giving him or her three months to make up for the delayed payments. If this is not done, a public auction will be held to sell the asset.

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.

There is no need of making an offer if you do not have the money to buy the property. Therefore, it is important that you contact your bank and ask for a loan. Once the financing is ready, you can make an offer. These deals are often disposed of very fast, so you should not waste any time once you identify a property that interests you.

Bank owned REO properties often need minor or major repairs. Renovation may need to be done before you can move into the property or sell it. Therefore, your budget should include renovation costs. There are many online listings that have REO assets for sale, so all you need to do is search the internet for the property that meets your specifications.




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