Bank of America Real Estate Center® (2024)

How to buy a foreclosed home

It can be an exciting and sometimes overwhelming process to find and purchase a home. You want to ensure the home you purchase is right for you and that you have a seasoned real estate agent to help guide you through the process.

If you are house hunting, you may want to consider buying a foreclosed home, also called a real estate owned (REO) property. An REO property is owned by the lender as a result of the previous owner defaulting on the loan. This is also known as a foreclosure property or a bank-owned property.

The two common ways of buying a foreclosed home are through a real estate agent or through a public auction.

There are many factors to consider when buying a foreclosed home compared to a traditional home purchase. REO properties are an affordable housing option, but there are also more things to watch for with this type of home purchase. Use this guide to better understand the steps involved in buying a foreclosed home and to increase your likelihood of success in finding one that is right for you.

Negotiating the purchase price of a foreclosed home may take a little longer than a typical real estate transaction because the process may require multiple levels of approval. First, the bank will have to approve the offer. In some cases, an investor may own the property and will have to provide approval as well.

Pricing for a foreclosed home is typically set at market value in an effort to move the property quickly. You will want to submit a fair and reasonable offer, as most banks will list properties at a fair price.

There are several considerations to keep in mind when purchasing an REO Property:

  • Unknown property condition

    • Given that the bank has not maintained or had first-hand knowledge of the foreclosed home prior to acquisition, there may be no record of property repairs or maintenance that would assess the true property condition. As a result, the bank is often unable to verify the condition of the property or complete a Seller’s Disclosure.
    • Buyers are allowed and encouraged to complete professional home inspections on the property.
  • As with a typical real estate transaction, out-of-pocket expenses can occur before and after an offer to purchase a property has been submitted. These out-of-pocket expenses may include lender required documentation such as an appraisal or home inspection and bank-required minimum earnest money. Earnest money is a “good faith” deposit demonstrating the buyer’s interest in the property and may be an indicator of how much money will be deposited as a down payment.
  • Prior to closing, a buyer should work with their agent to coordinate the date on which they may take possession of the property. Title issues may be discovered during the closing process and will need to be addressed and resolved, along with completion of all necessary paperwork to support the transaction. An extension of the close date may be requested by the seller if these issues cannot be resolved by the contract close date. Because of this, the buyer should allow adequate time after the scheduled contract close date to schedule movers, furniture deliveries, utilities, etc.

Before you start looking at foreclosed homes, you will need to determine how much home you can comfortably afford. You will want to make sure the costs for your mortgage, property taxes and insurance are typically no more than 36% of your income before taxes and other deductions. Please visit our home loan guide to learn more.

If you decide to move forward with a purchase1, getting prequalified gives you the advantage of being better prepared to make an offer. Getting prequalified is a process in which a prospective borrower provides financial and other information, such as employment history and funds for a down payment, in order for a lender to determine how much loan the borrower may obtain for the purchase of a home. In addition, a prequalified status shows you are not just browsing, which in turn makes you more attractive to a seller.

The REO market offers buyers a unique opportunity to invest in a variety of properties in a diverse range of conditions and price ranges. Foreclosed homes can vary from a regular home purchase, and you will want to research all loan products available for this type of transaction, including traditional loan products or an FHA 203(k) Renovation Loan (a mortgage that provides the purchase price plus funds for renovation by financing the “as improved” value of the home).

Bank of America has loan products that can help with the purchase of an REO property. Beginning the prequalification process is easy and you can get started at the Bank of America Home Loans website.

Many foreclosed homes are listed for sale the same way as traditional homes. In addition to searching the usual resources such as newspapers and online real estate listings and websites, you will want to search various bank and government websites for REO properties. Simple online searches for “REO properties” or “foreclosures” will result in a variety of online property resources and listings.

Auctions are another way you can access and purchase an REO property. There are two types of auctions that may occur, a public foreclosure auction or public auction through an auction company. A public foreclosure auction can occur when ownership of the property officially transitions to the bank. If the property is not sold during the public foreclosure auction, the property is then listed with a real estate agent. You can purchase the property from the bank through a real estate agent once the property has been listed. After the property has been listed with a real estate agent, marketed for a set period of time and has not sold, the bank will often transition the property to an auction company. Many auction companies sell properties from various banks and investors, holding auctions across the country either in-person or online. Search online for foreclosure auctions in your area. Be prepared if you decide to purchase at an auction, most auction proceedings happen quickly and you have little time to deliberate. You may also not have the opportunity to inspect the property and instead have to rely on photos and printed descriptions. Despite these challenges, auctions can be a good resource, as long as the excitement of bidding does not lead you to buying a foreclosed home at an inflated price or more than you can comfortably afford. It is always a good idea to do your research and set your budget before you attend an auction.

Consider Bank of America as a source for REO properties when you are looking to take advantage of today’s affordable housing. Search for homes on the Bank of America Real Estate Center to access Bank of America foreclosure listings and information.

You should work with a real estate agent who is experienced with REO properties. An experienced professional can guide you through any additional paperwork that may come with buying a foreclosed home and can help you determine if the price is a good value.

Getting a home inspection is always a good idea, but it is particularly important when buying a foreclosed home. Given that the bank has not maintained or had first-hand knowledge of the REO property prior to acquisition, there may be no record of property repairs or maintenance that would assess the true property condition. As a result, the bank is often unable to verify the condition of the property or complete a Seller’s Disclosure. Be sure to have a licensed home inspector evaluate the condition of the house. Most REO homes are sold as-is, and the cost of repairs typically becomes your responsibility. Make a list of everything that needs to be fixed, research the costs, and factor in those costs to any offer you make to ensure you could cover the costs on top of your new mortgage payment. Please keep in mind, de-winterizing a home may be necessary to complete the inspection.

A property inspection is encouraged and will help you determine:

  • Condition of the home
  • Estimated cost of repairs
  • A fair and reasonable offer
  • Funding the purchase

If you find that repairs are needed for your REO purchase, you may want to consider an FHA 203(k) Renovation Loan. An FHA 203(k) Renovation Loan is a mortgage that can cover the purchase price plus funds for renovation by financing the “as improved” value of the home.

A title search is always recommended for any real estate transaction. A title company will check the property for liens (outstanding debts someone is attempting to collect against the property) as well as verify that the deed to the home is correct. A title search is especially important when buying an REO property due to the unique transfer of ownership at foreclosure. There may be liens on the title that may not be uncovered until the closing process begins. Again, a real estate professional who is experienced in foreclosed homes can be a valuable resource in guiding you through this process.

Only you can decide if buying a foreclosed home is a good match for your current situation. Weigh the pros and cons, do your research and work with qualified professionals to help you make the decision that’s right for you.

Take the next step

With the Bank of America Digital Mortgage Experience™ you can prequalify or refinance online. Get started with the Bank of America Digital Mortgage Experience™

Better Money Habits®

Homeownership is a big investment. Get tips to make smart decisions before and after you buy. Get started with Better Money Habits®

Financing your way

Learn more about your home financing options. Get started and learn more about your home financing options

REO resources

With the right information, it’s easier to find an opportunity that’s right for you.

  • Monthly paymentcalculator
  • Today’s mortgagerates
  • Affordabilitycalculator
  • Closing costscalculator
  • Home LoanGuide
  • How to buy aforeclosed home
Bank of America Real Estate Center® (2024)

FAQs

What is BOA in real estate? ›

New Bank of America Real Estate Center Feature Identifies Properties Eligible for Down Payment and Closing Cost Grants for Prospective Homebuyers. Newsroom. Small business. Wealth management.

How do I find local bank foreclosures? ›

  1. Bank of America foreclosures. This site allows users to search for real estate owned or bank owned foreclosed properties, by zip code or other methods.
  2. RealtyTrac. ...
  3. Foreclosure.com. ...
  4. HUD.gov. ...
  5. HomeSales.gov. ...
  6. FHA Single Family Real Estate Owned Properties. ...
  7. USDA-RD/FSA Properties. ...
  8. IRS Seizures.

How much should I offer on a bank owned property? ›

The longer the bank has held the property, the greater the odds that it will seriously consider low offers. You could make an initial bid at a price that's at least 20% below the current market price, or even more if the property is located in an area with a high incidence of foreclosures.

How do I find bank owned properties near me? ›

You can find them through:
  1. Real estate agents. Bank-owned properties are on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS), the database that real estate agents use to see and post listings of homes for sale.
  2. Bank websites. ...
  3. Specialty real estate listing websites.

How much money do you need to buy a house for the first time? ›

You'll typically need at least 3 percent of the purchase price of the home as a down payment. Keep in mind that you'll need to put at least 20 percent down to avoid having to pay for mortgage insurance, however. Don't let the mortgage insurance cost scare you, though.

How do I find the subject to a property? ›

Subject To Deals The Top 6 Ways To Find Them - YouTube

What is the best website to find foreclosures? ›

Best Free Foreclosure Websites
  1. Realtor.com. Realtor.com is a website run by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), which features a database that allows you to search for foreclosure houses in your area. ...
  2. Equator.com. ...
  3. FlipScout By New Silver. ...
  4. Homepath and Homesteps. ...
  5. REO Property Sites. ...
  6. Zillow Foreclosure Center.
Jun 28, 2022

Is foreclosure com a legit site? ›

The long and short of it is that, yes, Foreclosure.com is a real website and it's 100% legitimate. It has an average 3-star rating on Trustpilot and has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. Foreclosure.com is legit, although it could have a higher review rating.

What is a short sale in real estate? ›

A short sale is when a mortgage lender agrees to accept a mortgage payoff amount less than what is owed in order to facilitate a sale of the property by a financially distressed owner. The lender forgives the remaining balance of the loan.

How do I make an offer on a bank owned property? ›

  1. Get the Property History.
  2. Determine Comparable Sales for the Property.
  3. Analyze the Listing Agent's REO Closed Sales.
  4. Ask About the Number of Offers Received.
  5. Submit a Pre-approval Letter.
  6. Don't Ask the REO Bank To Pay for Repairs.
  7. Shorten the Inspection Period.
  8. Offer To Split Fees With the REO Bank.

Do banks usually negotiate on foreclosures? ›

Banks are willing to negotiate foreclosures because they are losing money on the property when it sits vacant. They want someone to live in the house and to pay for the loan.

Can you make a lower offer on a foreclosed home? ›

You might be tempted to make a low offer on a foreclosed home. It's true that foreclosed properties often sell for less than traditional homes. But if you make an offer that's too far below market value, the sellers (whether they are a federal government body, a bank or a lender) might reject it.

Where do banks sell repossessed houses? ›

Lenders generally sell repossessed properties through one of two avenues: selling the property though an estate agent, or through an auction. Mortgage lenders typically want to sell these properties quickly to recoup their losses, and an auction purchase can be complete in under one month.

How do you buy a bank owned home in California? ›

7 Steps on How to Buy a Foreclosed Home in California
  1. Step 1: Get Pre-approved for a Mortgage. ...
  2. Step 2: Hire a Real Estate Agent (Optional) ...
  3. Step 3: Search for Foreclosed Homes. ...
  4. Step 4: Submit Offers or Make Your Bid. ...
  5. Step 5: Secure Your Property. ...
  6. Step 6: Get the Home Appraised. ...
  7. Step 7: Close the Sale.
Nov 6, 2021

How do you buy a foreclosed home in PA? ›

Pennsylvania law requires that all foreclosed properties must go through a public auction before becoming real-estate owned (REOs). Auctions can be held in-person (usually at the county courthouse) or online, though online auctions are becoming increasingly popular.

How much house can I afford if I make 3000 a month? ›

If you make $3,000 a month ($36,000 a year), your DTI with an FHA loan should be no more than $1,290 ($3,000 x 0.43) — which means you can afford a house with a monthly payment that is no more than $900 ($3,000 x 0.31). FHA loans typically allow for a lower down payment and credit score if certain requirements are met.

How much do I need to make to buy a 300K house? ›

To purchase a $300K house, you may need to make between $50,000 and $74,500 a year. This is a rule of thumb, and the specific salary will vary depending on your credit score, debt-to-income ratio, the type of home loan, loan term, and mortgage rate.

How much should I save a month to buy a house? ›

Determine how much you can afford each month.

We find that 25% (or less!) is the sweet spot. For the Clarks, 25% of their monthly take-home pay equals $1,050 each month. Keep in mind that this number should include taxes and insurance, escrow, and homeowner association fees.

What is a subject 2 property? ›

Subject to Financing Defined

In a subject to, sometimes called a subject 2 deal, the existing financing that a homeowner has setup is taken over by an investor. This route is basically paying for the mortgage already in place through an agreement with a homeowner.

Why would a seller do a subject to deal? ›

A subject-to deal can help provide a quick solution to whatever problem they face. The deal usually happens relatively fast, with no buyer financing on the line and sometimes no title company involved. In addition, sellers may be motivated by the possibility of improving their own credit and/or avoiding broker fees.

When an owner takes a property subject to? ›

"Subject-To" is a way of purchasing real estate where the real estate investor takes title to the property but the existing loan stays in the name of the seller. In other words, "Subject-To" the existing financing. The investor now controls the property and makes the mortgage payments on the seller's existing mortgage.

Are foreclosures cheaper? ›

Lower prices: One undeniable benefit is that foreclosed homes almost always cost less than other homes in the area or they are listed below market value. This is because they're priced by the lender, who wants the home off of their books.

Is realtor com or Zillow more accurate? ›

Realtor.com is arguably the most accurate real estate listing platform today. It is affiliated with over 580 regularly updated MLS databases across the U.S. Realtor.com also operates in more regions than Zillow and Redfin simply because it's been around for longer, that is since 1996.

What does out of market mean on a foreclosure? ›

In simple words, off market refers to property (it can be land, a house, or commercial real estate) for sale that is not listed on the Multiple Listing Service. This means that the listing agent didn't advertise this property and would have to do the legwork to find buyers.

How do I cancel my foreclosure com subscription? ›

To cancel your HUDforeclosed subscription, you can send an email to support@hudforeclosed.com.

What does EMV mean in real estate? ›

Estimated market value (EMV) is one of the factors used to determine your property taxes.

What is reality store com? ›

Since 2005, RealtyStore.com has become the fastest growing foreclosure property data provider. Find over 2 million listings with pre-foreclosure, foreclosure, bank-owned, government (HUD), short sale, tax defaulted, rent to own, or even owner-finance listings on one site.

Why do banks prefer foreclosure to short sale? ›

It costs more to the lender to go through the foreclosure process. During a short sale, the lender shares the cost with the homeowner to quickly sell the home. From a financial standpoint, many lenders prefer a short sale if the home is not expected to sell for more than the balance due at the foreclosure auction.

Can a seller make money on a short sale? ›

Why a Short Sale? In a seller's ideal home transaction, the sale price will pay off the existing mortgage and the seller may even make a profit.

Can you offer less on a short sale? ›

Can You Negotiate A Short Sale? It is entirely possible to negotiate a short sale, but doing so can be a time-consuming process. Instead of negotiating with the seller alone, as is the case with most traditional sales, short sale negotiations must be approved by the lender, too.

How does a bank sell a house? ›

He says, once the bank is awarded control by the Supreme Court, the property will usually be listed for sale with a local agent. He says, once the bank is awarded control by the Supreme Court, the property will usually be listed for sale with a local agent. Each state has different laws regulating the transfer of land.

Which lender would be least likely to approve a short sale? ›

Which of these lenders would be least likely to approve a short sale? junior leaners (Because they're in a secondary position when it comes to liens against the property, they realize that there may not be any money left to pay them after the lender in first position is paid.)

Do banks buy houses? ›

The article went on: “Banks, pension funds and asset managers are buying thousands of new-build starter homes. The homes never go on sale to ordinary buyers, but are packaged up and traded between banks, funds and insurance firms as assets.”

What is a BOM listing? ›

A bill of materials (BOM) is a comprehensive inventory of the raw materials, assemblies, subassemblies, parts and components, as well as the quantities of each needed to manufacture a product. In a nutshell, it is the complete list of all the items that are required to build a product.

What does back to market mean? ›

In a nutshell: A property that is Back On Market, BOM for short, means that the property status has changed from pending or off-market to active again.

What does PCG stand for in real estate? ›

NEW means just listed. (These include properties that were listed before under a different MLS number.) PCG means price change. Properties marked BOM have come back on the market after the active marketing has been suspended by being UAG, WDN, CAN, or EXP. Sometimes, I see this marked as RAC, which means reactivated.

What does CTG mean in real estate? ›

CTG - Contingent.

If a property is said to be under agreement or contingent or pending or under contract or active with contract or have a signed offer - it means the same thing. Namely, that there is a signed, accepted offer between Buyer and Seller.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Sen. Emmett Berge

Last Updated:

Views: 6241

Rating: 5 / 5 (60 voted)

Reviews: 83% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Sen. Emmett Berge

Birthday: 1993-06-17

Address: 787 Elvis Divide, Port Brice, OH 24507-6802

Phone: +9779049645255

Job: Senior Healthcare Specialist

Hobby: Cycling, Model building, Kitesurfing, Origami, Lapidary, Dance, Basketball

Introduction: My name is Sen. Emmett Berge, I am a funny, vast, charming, courageous, enthusiastic, jolly, famous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.