Saturday, September 16, 2017

What Are Bank Owned REO Properties

By Shirley Long


If you are in the market for a new home, chances are you are looking for the best deals available. You may have searched for a home through various publications or you may have searched online. If you want to know what are bank owned REO properties are, they are properties owned by the mortgage lender or bank often called real estate owned properties and often you can get a very good deal on these types of home.

To find reo properties you may contact a real estate agent who has this information or look on the multiple listing service or MLS websites. You may also check your local banks as many of them have a section on their websites dedicated to reo properties or you can find a real estate selling service online that lists properties in your local area.

You should not go into a home purchase blindly, but do have the property inspected thoroughly by a professional home inspector. They will assess the property inside and out and give you information regarding its general condition and any repairs that need to be made or let you know if there is structural damage that has occurred. Many REO properties are distressed and in need of many repairs so be aware of this when you are looking at these kinds of home.

Sometimes, but rarely, the property listed may be in move-in condition and often the bank or mortgage lender will want a higher price for the property. You can negotiate with them on this pricing or have them lower the interest rate or discount part of the closing costs to reduce the overall price you pay for the home.

Since these are former foreclosure properties that did not sell at auction, the bank may invest in having some of the repairs to the property done in order to get it in saleable condition. They may also pay off any back taxes owed on the property and invest in any other repairs that need to be made in order to sell it. Their primary objective is to sell the property and recoup their overall investment in it. Many times, however, the property is sold on an as-is basis with no warranties to it.

If you have such a property in mind for purchase, you should do your own title search to make sure the title is clean and doesn't have any liens or back taxes owed on it. Relying on the bank for this kind of information is not wise and you should do your own due diligence when it comes to learning about the property in question.

If the bank offers the home at a discounted price, you should still seek to have the property inspected by a professional before you purchase it. This way you will know the total cost if any of having to repair or renovate the property and you can include this cost in any loans you may obtain from the bank.

If you qualify for a bank loan or other type of private loan, try to get the best interest rates available and if necessary work out the cost of any repairs that need to be made in your total loan package, that way you will not have to come up with out of pocket costs for any repairs that need to be made.




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