Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Risks of Real Estate Auctions


There are various ways to purchase a property. But if you are aiming to buy a house with a price lower than conventional market rates, real estate auctions is one venue swarmed with quality yet relatively inexpensive homes. Then again, you need to be guided about the risks of selecting a property placed in an auction.

Essentially, a property put under auction is a foreclosed property. Once a homeowner receives a Notice of Default, it nears foreclosure and then it would undergo several stages to be put on sale. One of which is the auction. Properties within this set up are those that did not sell through multiple listing services at a given period of time. These homes are usually intended for big investors or buyers backed up with a lump sum of money. This is because the process requires full cash out upon approval of the bid. Buying this property type is not advised for a novice home buyer. Most properties sold through auctions require prospective buyers to disburse 5 percent buyer premium. One needs to have perceptive skills to offer an enticing bid that could overthrow other competitive bidders. The difficulty is enhanced when even the lender bids.

On the other hand, buying a foreclosed property through online auctions brings about other unique risks. Unlike with actual auctions, you are not enabled to easily inspect the property. Be ready to have a property as it is. Say, the furnace is malfunctioning, you cannot just go back and ask the owner to fix it. Conversely, the previous owner can reclaim a property within a redemption period. This happens when the owner recovers his finances, pays his loan and then saves his property from foreclosure. The property cannot be fully owned until the said period expires. Most states have this mechanism. The duration of the period and regulations as to who is eligible for redemption vary per state and/or county. New Jersey allows 10 days and Tennessee has up to 700 days for the redemption period. Note that this system usually occurs in agricultural areas where farmers wait for the payment of their crops, which would then be allocated for repaying their loan. You may also ask the homeowner if you can buy his right of redemption. It usually takes $500 to $1,000.

Be careful in what you are buying. Some auctions are masking the sale of mortgages and liens under the property itself. It would be unfortunate if you unintentionally bought the second mortgage on a home. So it is best that you make sure of the auction rules and property specifications before putting your money down. But despite these risks, it is really a lot more convenient to participate in online auctions. Also it is one factor that may have contributed to increasing the clamor for and exposure of more foreclosed properties at auctions. A lot of buyers are more inclined to online auction as it is less intimidating. There is also the perk to not reserve a slot to be a qualified bidder. For example, you can bid $250,000 at an online auction, put down only 10 percent, and borrow 90 percent. Other courthouse auctions require more collateral. Then again, if you won the bid, you have to come up with the cash in a timely manner.

If you are a veteran real estate investor, then you can enjoy the advantages of having this property. Firstly, you can have massive savings. Immediate ownership is guaranteed as you are required to put down all cash upfront. There are numerous properties in auction that cost way below its original value. For one in Ohio, a two-story home transformed into a multi-family duplex apartment was sold at no-reserve auction for only $3,200, whereas its value was $35,000. This 1,900 square feet property has 11 rooms. Although this particular home needed some repairs and cleanup, there is a remarkable savings from its price.




The Real estate market can be an enjoyable, satisfying and lucrative experience for you. Whether you are a homeowner, a buyer, a landlord or simply a real estate enthusiast, get to know more about the latest in the real estate market now. Read more about it here: Maricopa Real Estate and Maricopa Adult Community Housing.




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