About Short Sales

If you’re about to sign on a new home, make sure you read the fine print carefully. Especially if you’re signing up for a sub prime loan, you really want to read the fine print. You also want to be aware of the foreclosure laws. If you sign for a house, and then find out down the road you can’t pay for it, you could end up being foreclosed upon.

Foreclosure laws state that if you can’t pay for your home that you have a certain amount of time to evacuate your home. By reading the fine print before you sign you can be well informed of your rights in case you fall on hard times and for some reason can’t pay your loan payments.

Subprime Mortgage Lending

Nowadays you hear it all over the news. People are being foreclosed on and are losing their houses because they can no longer afford their homes. These people probably got taken in by subprime mortgage lenders. These lenders promise people that they’ll help them fulfill the American dream of becoming home owners.

These same lenders often claim that good credit is not important, that anyone can get a low interest rate. The loans that such unscrupulous lenders offer, however, only have a low introductory interest rate. In just a few short years, those interest rates skyrocket, a fact which people would know if they would only take the time to read the fine print of their loan agreements. When interest rates go up quickly and unexpectedly, many individuals find themselves unable to pay their loan and thus are foreclosed on.

Notice To Vacate

Foreclosure law states that if you cannot pay your loan in a certain amount of time then you have to vacate the premises. If you cannot pay, you will typically get a notice from the bank, or from your lender, stating lack of payment and when you have to leave. If you do not vacate as the notice states, then you will be forced to leave by the police. Many people are having this happen today because of rising interest rates, so don’t get taken in because you didn’t read the fine print.

Don’t become a victim to the foreclosure law. Make sure you can afford a home before you sign on one and you will be a happy homeowner for as long as you choose to live in that home. If you need more information, contact a lawyer who specializes in foreclosures or search the internet as there is much information as well as stories from people who have fallen victim and had to vacate their much cherished homes.

It’s unfortunate but foreclosed homes currently represent half of all of all the homes sold in the US. Before the bank forces foreclosure there is in a period called pre-foreclosure which can last anywhere from two to twelve weeks. Many of the real estate gurus have made a fortune on pre-foreclosures and consider it as one of the best, if not the best, way to invest in real estate.

Many of the ‘for sale by owner’ signs that you see are from owners that are in pre-foreclosure. The bank usually allows the homeowner time in which to try and sell their home before it is foreclosed. This is common because the bank is not in the real estate business and would prefer the current owner sell the home to cut their losses rather then having to seize the home themselves.

Here are several reasons that real estate experts feel it?s a better idea to purchase a home during a pre-closure period instead of waiting to buy a foreclosed home at a government auction:

- Pre-foreclosed houses are often times cheaper considering it?s being sold by a home owner that is in a hurry to sell it before facing foreclosure.

- Because you are working with the owner you’ll be able to ask questions about the property you wouldn’t be able to otherwise.

- Typically less competition then at a foreclosure auction where there is multiple bidding for the same property. Foreclosures attracts more of the mass real estate market then pre-foreclosures does.

- More time to evaluate financial scenario then at an auction.

- You will be given more time to access and evaluate your finances before buying a pre-foreclosed home.

- You can bring an inspector along with you to inspect the pre-foreclosed home. You will be given more time to have it looked over.

- You will be allowed to make a low down payment on a pre-foreclosed house. At a government auction you would be required to pay the total amount in cash.

As with any house purchase make sure you check for any judgements, or liens against the estate. Bring along someone how is familiar with buying real estate and if possible have the house professional inspected. The risks are comparable to a traditional type of home purchase but with the advantages of foreclosure discounted pricing.

Government surpluses and abandoned properties are sold at government auctions to the general population at discounted prices. There are government auctions held in every state many times a month. No matter where you live in US or Canada, you’ll be able to find great deals at these auctions. Consider the investment possibilities or even starting your own business.

The government surplus items sold at government auctions are items not required by the federal, state, and local government. These items can come from the government purchasing more than they needed, or technological equipment that has been updated.

Items found at government auctions can also come from businesses that have gone bankrupt. Many of these items found at government auctions can include furniture, computers, electronics, furniture, and miscellaneous equipment. Most people don’t think of these types of items at a government auction, however, it’s where you can get these types of used items the cheapest.

Government auctions include seized properties which are made up of bank foreclosures, bankrupt commercial businesses, properties owned by convicted criminals, etc. Police often seize property if the owner is sentenced for a crime or if the property was used for a crime. The government also seizes the homes of the owners who are unable to keep up with their mortgage payments.

A property is considered abandoned if the owner dies and has no known relatives alive to inherit, or if the owner walks away from it for whatever reason. This can happen if the owner feels the house is worth less then he currently owes. This has been happening quit often lately in a declining housing market.

You can find out where government auctions are going to be held in your area, as well as the listings that will be available, through the Internet. There are many government auction websites (some are great and some are scams) that charge a membership fee to provide listings and information regarding abandoned/seized properties, and surplus items.

Read government auction reviews on the web to find out where the best membership deals are. This will help prevent you from falling into the many scams that are on the web.