Saturday, 17 January 2009

Things to Research in a Community Before Buying Pre-Foreclosures

By Sandy Watson

It's a tragedy that many people are forfeiting their homes during this sub-prime real estate crisis. It was recently reported that foreclosures account for 50% of the homes currently being sold in the US. Even though many people are losing their homes, there are many others who can finally afford a home or are now investing into real estate and taking advantage of these discounted prices.

Donald Trump is a great example of someone who was investing in real estate during a downturn in the market. Now look at him! "There are always opportunities", he is quoted as saying. "When I first started out in Manhattan, everyone was saying what a terrible market it was". He admits if he had listened to the nay Sayers he won't be were he is today.

Many of the most successful real estate investors currently see this as an opportune time to buy real estate (Mr. Trump is in this list) and see pre-foreclosures as the greatest means in which to negotiate the best deals.

The main reason to consider buying a pre-foreclosed property rather then waiting until in becomes a foreclosure property is because that way you can buy it from the current owner. This will give you more time to inspect the home as well as developing a mortgage with the bank.

It is important to understand the surrounding community or macro aspects when purchasing a pre-foreclosed home. Here are some macro aspects to consider:

- Try to find out how many other homes in the neighborhood are in pre-foreclosure or foreclosure. It's best if the home you're interested in is one of the only houses under financial strain. In order for properties to appreciate the number of foreclosures has to be minimal.

- Check with the local tenants to see what the rent levels are and whether they have been increasing or decreasing over the last little while.

- What is the employment rate in the area? If declining then that may indicate that it's not the right area in which to invest. Does the local economy appear to be stable?

- Check with the local government to see of any upcoming infrastructure projects that will be taking place within 2-3 years. Projects such as new shopping malls, highways, train/subways lines, building permits for new businesses being established, new parks near the property, etc.

- Demographically if there is a high number of elderly people living in town who are home owners, then there could be an over supply of housing in the future, as they move in with family or nursing homes for care.

If you do your due diligence and find positive answers to these questions when considering a pre-foreclosure then you can feel secure that it is a good community in which to invest. Successful real estate investors buy discounted properties at the right location at the right time.

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