Things You Need To Know When Choosing A Foreclosure Auction Service Online
Investments in real estate are often considered as one of the best investments you can make. However, it is not always as simple as it seems. Real estate market is often quite fickle and it can become difficult to identify properties with high potential. Whether you are buying real estate for your new home, or just looking to invest in some properties to create assets, having thorough knowledge about the market is quite important to safeguard your investment. Apart from the traditional methods of buying properties through brokers or newspaper listings, online foreclosure auctions are a great way to get your hands on prime properties at a fraction of the cost.
What are online foreclosure auctions?
When a homeowner is not able to make payments on his loan, the property gets taken over by the lender and turns into a foreclosed property or a bank-owned property. This can be purchased either via real estate agents or through public auctions.
Why choose public online foreclosure auctions? The whole idea behind the sale of the foreclosed property is to reduce the losses to the lender. Due to this, properties usually get sold at a much lower price than its estimated value. There are mainly two types of foreclosure auctions that you can come across:
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Absolute Auction
In this case, the property is sold to the highest bidder regardless of its actual value.
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Reserve Auction
The lender or the homeowner can set a reserve price to the property. If the highest bid is not greater than the reserve price of the property, it will remain unsold.
Challenges when bidding on an online foreclosure auction
Though auctions are a great way to get good deals on a property, there are a few challenges that you have to overcome.
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There is no way to inspect a property listed on a foreclosure auction
Properties listed in the foreclosure auction are still technically owned by the previous owner. An attempt to walk into the front door would be considered trespassing. So how do you inspect the property? You cannot. The only thing that you can do is study the history of the property and go through previous public listings to get more information. You can also view the property from the outside and check if it is maintained correctly.
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You have to compete with experienced bidders
An inexperienced person looking to buy a new home will not normally choose an online foreclosure auction. If you are considering to buy a property from an auction, you may have to compete with experienced investors and seasoned buyers.
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Auctions are sometimes not final
Even if you are the winning bidder, the previous owner still has to sign off on the auction. If not, the house is reauctioned. Sometimes, the property is reauctioned to get a better value out of it.
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You need to have a lot of liquid cash ready
If you are the winning bidder of an online foreclosure auction, you might not have much time to complete the payments. Therefore, it is necessary to get your finances in order before bidding in an online auction.
Tips to ensure that you get a good deal from your auction
Though there are a few challenges that you may face, taking some precautionary measures beforehand can make the entire auction process smooth and easy. You might even be able to get your hands on an amazing property at a fraction of its estimated cost.
Here are some tips that can help you land a good deal during online foreclosure auctions.
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Choose reputed sites or auctioneers
The final price that you have to pay also includes the buyer’s premium that has to be paid to the auctioneer. Choosing a reputed website for auctions can help decrease the chances of fraud or ineffective listings. Sites like Auction.com, Hubzu, among others offer high-quality services with minimal risk.
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Try to get as much information as possible about the property listing
Even though it may not always be possible to physically inspect the property listing, doing some research can help you dig out some vital information.
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Don’t be afraid of fixer-uppers
Some properties are available at cheaper costs due to poor maintenance or damages. If the damage or maintenance problems are minimal, you can turn the property into a profitable investment without much effort. Consulting a real estate advisor in such cases can also help you avoid making bad decisions.