BUYING REO PROPERTIES: TIPS, PROS & CONS
If you’re a Real Estate Investor or are just thinking about buying a home, you’ve probably heard about REO (real estate owned) properties. REOs are homes that have been taken back by the lender after being foreclosed on. They can be a great deal, and come with the opportunity to acquire properties with attractive profit margins. Another great way to acquire properties that offer an attractive return is to buy a house at the price of a car. Read on to learn more! BUYING A HOUSE FOR THE PRICE OF A CAR It hardly matters if you are new to Real Estate or a skilled expert, an able coach can help you find your way and achieve your goal more quickly. We at MY SMART COUSIN are there to guide you, with a special focus on serving Black and Brown folks and women, and help you move ahead in the right direction and scale your finances. As your trustworthy Real Investment Coach, we help people do what we do routinely and Buy a house for the price of a car through the hundreds of opportunities available daily. Are you in the market for a new home? Or maybe you’re an investor looking for your next big property project. In either case, buying a low-priced REO property can be a great option. Whether you’re just starting to think about it or you’re ready to take the plunge, read on for all the info you need! WHAT ARE REO PROPERTIES AND WHY ARE THEY A GOOD INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY? A central plank in Real Estate Investing is finding properties with unrecognized or underpriced potential, and flipping them for large returns. What makes a Real Estate Owned property stand out is that the bank owns the house courtesy a foreclosure triggered by the homeowner not paying the mortgage loan on time or at all. Because banks are not in the business of owning houses as part of their core strategy, lenders tend to be willing to negotiate the sales price. These negotiations can result in lucrative investment opportunities–but only when they come up during your search process. Another benefit of REO properties is that the homes tend to be in somewhat reasonable condition rather than of the tumble-down variety ready for a wrecking ball. The reason is that the homeowner may still live in the house right up until the day that the house is sold. While deferred maintenance will likely need to be addressed, it’s unlikely that major structural issues will be the case in such a scenario. If the homeowner is no longer living in the home, the lender is taking on the responsibility of performing minimal maintenance through a third-party servicing company, again, minimizing the likelihood that the property requires a full gut rehabilitation. HOW DO YOU BUY REO PROPERTIES, AND WHAT SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR WHEN EVALUATING THEM? Purchasing REO properties is similar to other forms of house hunting, with a few exceptions: · FINDING PROPERTIES – Begin your search by identifying properties that are in your desired range and market. Meet with your local bank to determine if they maintain a list of REO properties for sale. · HUNT FOR LENDER AND FINANCING OPTIONS – In order to avoid finding a property, only to have your financing fall through, select a lender and obtain pre-qualification early. When the selling bank that has REO properties knows that you are financially eligible, they are likely to take more interest in your offer. · PREPARE A LIST OF SELECTION CRITERIA FOR REO PROPERTIES – It is important to determine what your key must-haves and dealbreakers are in a property before beginning your search. The more time you spend prepping your criteria, the easier it will be to make efficient, confident decisions when presented with multiple listings by different owners and brokers! Start by looking at the properties you own, or the type that catches your interest, to hone in on what your drivers are. Importantly, don’t allow price to be the only factor on your list. Consider other factors such as property location, size, current condition, ongoing maintenance needs, and so on. · GET AN APPRAISAL – Whether you’re purchasing a property for a primary residence or for an investment, appraisals help you determine the value of the property, warts and all, relative to its asking price. · MAKING THE OFFER – If you have a real estate agent, use your agent to make the offer and work with the lender. An agent offers you another set of eyes on things that you might miss, as well as helps to temper emotions. · HOME INSPECTION – Home inspections are important because they can help you avoid costly repairs after the purchase. A home inspection should always be done before finalizing any deal, but this holds especially true for real estate-owned assets as such properties often come without the protection of warranties or disclosures. · THE NEGOTIATION – Banks, like most sellers, will seek to maximize profits and close quickly. Banks, however, usually have multiple levels of approval involved in their chain of command. As such, be prepared for an extended process that is paperwork-heavy. If you are unclear about the purpose of any documents and what they mean, always ask, and then ask again, until you are clear. · FINALIZATION – Once you have come to an agreement with the seller and your lender is completing their close process, your lender will prepare the loan documents and verify the status of the title. · THE CLOSING OF THE DEAL – If everything goes well, you can close the deal on the REO property. The lender and you must sign the documents transferring the house into your name. WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF BUYING AN REO PROPERTY COMPARED TO OTHER TYPES OF INVESTMENTS OR HOME PURCHASES? THE PROS OF PURCHASING REO PROPERTIES · NO BURDEN OF OUTSTANDING TAXES When you buy a foreclosed property, there are often no outstanding debts or taxes to worry about. Banks will take care of these issues at possession in order to ensure that they remain the primary lienholder on the property. · HIGH RETURN