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A foreclosure is a process that starts when a borrower fails to pay their mortgage. The lender will typically repossess the home and they will try to sell the house. They are able to do this because when you take out a mortgage loan, the house is used as collateral. Having a foreclosure on your credit history will significantly lower your credit score. It may also prevent you from being able to qualify for credit or new loans for several years.
As a homebuyer, there are some benefits to purchasing a foreclosure. The largest benefit is possibly getting a better deal than the current market value of a home. When a home is in pre-foreclosure, the owner may be trying to sell to pay off their debts. They are motivated to sell, and are more willing to work out a deal. If you are willing to put in some research and elbow grease if repairs are needed, you have the potential to get a property at a fantastic price.
Monday, January 13th
Foreclosure is an online website with properties for sale that are being foreclosed. They update their listings twice a day to give buyers the most current resources for foreclosures. Foreclosure earns our highest ranking due to their frequently updated listings and positive customer reviews.
Auction is an online marketplace used to list and sell foreclosure houses. It is one of the nation's leading online sources for selling foreclosures. This listing site ranks high due to offering an app and having a large selection of properties on offer.
Zillow is a well-known realty website used for selling and purchasing houses, but you may not know they have a foreclosure section as well. This foreclosure listing option scores well with us because of its educational articles, easy to use website and large database of properties. However, some negative feedback from site users and the BBB keep Zillow from earning our highest recommendation.
RealtyTrac is a one-stop shop for purchasing foreclosure properties. Based in Irvine, California, they have multiple membership options for you to choose from. They offer professional help and up-to-date information pertaining to the real estate market. They rank as "just average” simply because of their lack of positive reviews. While most of the negative reviews seem to be from customers who did not read the fact that memberships auto renew, there still aren't many people raving about their experience using RealtyTrac to find foreclosure listings.
HomePath is a website where buyers can search for foreclosure properties owned by Fannie Mae. You can search and even purchase properties through their website. HomePath is a good option for first-time homebuyers due to them requiring only 5% down on the property. However, that doesn't necessarily fit the needs of all foreclosure shoppers, keeping this listing site from ranking higher among its rivals.
Realtor is a website to view available properties. They have a section for foreclosures; however, it isn't their specialty. Because Realtor isn't offering as many resources as other sites to guide you through the foreclosure process, we've placed their foreclosure listings towards the bottom of our rankings.
HUD Foreclosed is a foreclosure website that offers access to homes that start at just $10,000. They have a 21-day trial for $1, but it is hard to cancel. HUD Foreclosed also has a costly monthly membership, putting this foreclosure listing service behind most of its rivals.
RealtyStore is an online foreclosure website with multiple plans. They do not have positive reviews from customers and appear to be difficult to work with. Between this and the discrepancies we found throughout the website, RealtyStore doesn't get our recommendation for foreclosure listings.
Foreclosure Listings is a website to find foreclosure properties that began in 1998. They sell your information to brokers and limit the number of listings you may view in a 24-hour period. Between that and the discrepancies on their website, plus Foreclosure Listings' many negative customer reviews, it's easy to understand why we say to avoid this service.
View Foreclosure Homes is a very basic website to search local foreclosure properties. Don't use this listing service unless you want minimal information and sketchy details in the fine print.
However, there are some concerns when it comes to purchasing a foreclosure property. The biggest one is that there may be increased maintenance issues. Some homeowners feel the need to destroy the property before vacating it. They also have no motivation to do the upkeep before leaving. Foreclosure properties are often sold as-is, sometimes with no opportunity to inspect the inside prior to closing. You could find a bit of a fixer-upper missing an appliance or two, or there may be extensive damage down to the studs.
Foreclosure listing websites can save you a little legwork when it comes to tracking down possible properties to purchase. They scour public records to look for homes with missing payments, as well as ones where the bank has already begun the foreclosure process and you could get in on a deal.
As you start to consider which foreclosure website to use, here are a few key features to consider about what each website has to offer.
TopConsumerReviews.com has reviewed and ranked the best Foreclosure Listings available today. We hope this information helps you in your real estate goals, whether you're buying a home for yourself or adding to your investment portfolio!
Select any 2 Foreclosure Listing Services to compare them head to head