If you plan to buy a home in foreclosure – either to live in or to fix and flip – you need to pay attention to several aspects of the home buying process. While you need to be realistic in your expectations, you also need to take time to understand the process and research your alternatives. Read this page in its entirety to get some information that could be helpful to you when buying a home in foreclosure.

1. What is a Foreclosed Home?

Simply put, a foreclosure refers to the process of a lender seizing a home upon non-repayment of a mortgage. This is because a mortgage function as a lien against a property. This gives a lender the legal right to take ownership of the said property in case a borrower defaults on their payments for the obligation. The lender then sells the property to tries to recoup its financial losses.

Not making timely payments toward a mortgage can result in foreclosure. Reasons for non-payment vary greatly, and may include, but are not limited to, a drop in income, loss of job, disability, divorce, or bankruptcy.

2. How the Foreclosure Process Works

When considering buying a home that is involved in foreclosure, it is important to understand that there are several stages in the process, including:

  • Notice of default. Lenders typically send notices of default to borrowers when they fail to make payments for 90 days. However, the timeline may vary depending on the agreement between both parties, as well as policies that a lender follows. Homeowners who receive notices of default get some time to work with their lenders and come up with revised payment plans that are more suited to their existing financial situations.
  • Trustee’s sale notice. If a borrower fails to make repayments after receiving a notice of default, a lender may sell the home. However, a lender needs to record its intent to sell any such home with the county office, and it also needs to publish relevant information in a local newspaper. From a buyer’s perspective, this is one way to look for foreclosed homes.
  • Trustee’s sale. This is when lenders try to sell foreclosed homes through public auctions.
  • Real estate-owned (REO). Properties that do not find buyers at auctions find their way to the lenders that had provided mortgages against the same. These are then referred to as REO properties, which lenders try to sell. A significant number of homes involved in foreclosure tend to sell at this stage.