What You Need To Know About Purchasing Bank Owned REO Properties

| Sunday, April 13, 2014
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 may choose to pay for necessary repairs on a building. Banks also request the IRS to eliminate tax liens from the house and pay off debts owed to associations. Individuals who purchase bank owned REO properties are provided with a title insurance policy. These people are also allowed to have the property examined by a professional inspector.

When purchasing a REO property, you should examine it carefully before you make your offer. Determine if the price at which it is being sold is reasonable when you compare it to the prices of similar homes in the neighborhood. You should also consider if the home needs to be repaired or renovated and the duration such a project will take. Most banks prefer selling REO properties as is but they offer section 1 pest certifications if a buyer includes it in his or her 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 are often willing to renegotiate an offer in order to complete a transaction instead of listing a property again. Even though most lenders do not offer financing of their REOs, you can still ask if you can finance the property you want to buy. You can do this if the home you are purchasing is in need of extensive repairs.

When buying a REO property, prospective buyers are usually required to fax their offer to the bank that owns it. They are also required to provide the realtor with original documents, a buyer biography and a pre approval letter. Buyers should seek to make offers that are easy for banks 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 reviewed by several firms and individuals and they are approved if they are satisfactory. REO properties offer a number of financial advantages. They minimize the risk associated with purchasing foreclosed homes. The process of foreclosing a home eradicates all taxes, title problems and liens allowing for straightforward transfer of ownership.




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