Distressed property owners find themselves obligated by the terms of their mortgages to repay their lenders, but they can't finance their debts. As a result, they are often forced by law to sell their homes at foreclosure. Savvy investors can often get huge discounts on otherwise perfectly viable pieces of property by buying at various points along the foreclosure process.
During so-called pre-foreclosure--the window of time that the owner has to pay back the lender before foreclosure sets in--a buyer may be able to strike an amazing deal. Sellers want to find good buyers at this point to avoid scuttling their credit histories and to capitalize on stored equity. Well-researched buyers can usually get anywhere from 15 to 45 percent off the total value of the property at this stage of the game.
Distressed property owners can also lose their title to auction. Buyers compete with each other and with banks to bid at public auction. A lender, such as a bank or the federal government, may foreclose on a piece of property and then resell it. It's difficult to get huge discounted savings on properties when buying at bank-owned sales, but you don't have to worry about as many risks.
If you are hunting for distressed properties for sale in North Carolina or Florida, you can turn to ForeclosuresDaily.com. Our site contains copious amounts of information on Florida and North Carolina foreclosures, bankruptcy cases, and more. Real estate agents, neophyte foreclosure investors, and speculators alike can benefit from our daily updated site, which links to numerous other critical resources for the foreclosure investor.