Wednesday, April 16, 2014

What You Need To Know About Purchasing Bank Owned REO Properties

By Anita Ortega


REO is the acronym for real estate owned property. This is a property that belongs to a lender like a bank after its foreclosure auction is unsuccessful. Some foreclosed properties do not get a bid since the amount of money owed on them is higher than their value. Such homes revert to the lenders and become bank owned REOs. The bank is responsible for handling an eviction if necessary. The mortgage loan also ceases to exist.

Some banks that have real estate owned properties may perform some repairs on them. Banks also pay off dues owed to associations and negotiate with the IRS to remove tax liens. As they buy bank owned REO properties, investors get a title insurance policy. Prospective buyers are also allowed to hire an inspector to evaluate the property.

When buying a real estate owned property, it is important to investigate the property before you make an offer. Make sure that the asking price is comparable to the prices of other homes in the neighborhood. It is also important consider the cost of repairs or renovations and the duration it will take to complete them. Banks usually prefer selling properties in their current condition but they usually offer a section 1 pest certification if you include it in your offer.

Banks will allow you to get all the inspections you want but you have to pay for them. It is wise to make sure that your offer includes an inspection contingency period that allows you to terminate your agreement to buy a property if the inspections show that there are extensive damages that the bank will not correct. Ensure that you give the financial institution another opportunity to meet the costs of repairing a home or give you a credit after completing your inspections.

Banks may renegotiate offers in order to save the transaction instead of putting the home back on the market. Most banks do not offer financing on their real estate owned homes but you can ask if you can get financing. This is especially the case if a home has extensive damage and you are purchasing it in its current condition.

Offers to buy a real estate owned property are usually faxed to the financial institution. You should provide the listing agent with original documents. You should also provide the listing agent with a pre approval letter and a buyer biography. Your goal should be to make an offer that is easy for a bank to accept.

All banks have similar goals when selling real estate owned homes but they usually work differently. Their goal is to get the best price possible for a property. For this reason, they offer the homes for sale at prices that are close to the full market value. After they receive offers, banks make counter offers, which are meant to show shareholders, auditors and investors that they tried to get sell a property at the highest price possible.

The offers that banks receive are then reviewed and approved by several companies and individuals. There are a number of benefits of buying real estate owned properties. For instance, the risk of purchasing a REO property is low because the foreclose process eliminates title problems, taxes, liens and judgments. These homes can therefore be easily transferred to a new owner.




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