Friday, June 20, 2014

All About Bank Owned REO Properties

By Sherry Gross


It is common knowledge now that when property owners fail to service their mortgages, foreclosure proceedings are initiated and the bank repossesses the property. There are basically two types of foreclosure proceedings: judicial - where the courts are involved; and non-judicial where the courts are not involved in any way. Bank owned REO properties can arise from either of these proceedings depending on what the property owner does.

During foreclosure proceedings, the property owner has the legal right to reclaim the asset at whatever stage. Failure to do this leads to transfer of ownership to the bank. Any real estate property that is owned by a financial institution is commonly referred to as REO (Real Estate Owned) property, and it can be disposed of at the sole discretion of the bank.

Banks usually hire a Realtor to handle every aspect of the sale involving REO assets. They normally publish information relating to the properties for sale on the property listings and other real estate websites so that potential buyers can find them with ease. It is usually the mandate of the realtor to find buyers and sell the property at a price that exceeds the amount the bank wishes to recover.

The increase in the number of REO assets was caused by the financial crisis that occurred some years back. The crisis force thousands of property owners to default on their loans, forcing lenders to initiate foreclosure proceedings. In the aftermath of this crisis, some people were able to reclaim their assets, but the vast majority were not as lucky.

If you are looking for a home to live in with your family, consider buying REO homes which are readily available at discounted rates. Some of them even cost as low as 80 percent of the market price. The price quoted by sellers, however, may vary according to the neighborhood, state, design or general condition among other factors. That said, comparing prices is the most important thing when buying a used item.

The same procedure for buying a typical home is used to acquire REO homes. All a person needs to do is get mortgage pre-approval, find a real estate agent who deals with REO's and make an offer on properties that meet their unique requirements. It is as simple as that.

Most banks usually sell their REO's on as is where is basis, so it is important that you inspect the building before making an offer. You can do this on your own, but you may want to consider hiring a professional housing inspector to do the job for you. This may cost you some money now, but it can save you thousands in the long run.

When buying a used item, whether it is property or a car, you should know that prices are never fixed. You can always buy property at a much lower price than what the seller quotes. All you need to do is negotiate and show willingness to close the deal as soon as possible. However, you should have the value of the property appraised before you start negotiating the price.




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