Foreclosures in Boston - An Overview
Monday, October 27th, 2008The numbers of foreclosures in Boston are continuing to increase. The ongoing foreclosure crisis has led to a significant drop in prices of homes in Boston. In order to bring some relief, Boston is to receive $4.3 billion in the form of financial aid, through the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
A large number of financial analysts are therefore of the opinion that people can now start thinking about buying homes again. Homes, during or after foreclosure, usually sell at discounted prices and are therefore being looked upon as feasible alternatives.
Looking for homes involved in foreclosure has been made quite simple, thanks to the internet. A large number of web sites offer real estate foreclosure listings. While there are websites that allow you to view free listings, the ones which are more comprehensive usually charge their members subscription fees. Most of the times the fees are fairly nominal, and you also get a free trial period (generally 15 days).
Alternatively, you could approach financial organizations which deal in home loans as they would have foreclosure homes on their inventory. Some banks would also give you lists of home owners who are in pre foreclosure. Real estate agents are a good source for local foreclosure listings. Newspapers and newsletters also carry foreclosure listings.
A foreclosure home can be sold during various phases of the foreclosure proceedings.
A home owner can sell a house during pre foreclosure. In doing so, the debt due to which foreclosure proceedings began, can usually be taken care. Since this is the primary motive of home owners in pre foreclosure, you can expect them to be open to negotiation.
A home is sold at a foreclosure auction as part of the foreclosure proceedings (after pre foreclosure). These auctions are publicly notified before hand, and the house usually goes to the highest bidder at the auction. If you intend to buy at an auction, you should know that certified funds (a cashier’s check or cash) should be readily available to pay for the house.
A foreclosed home passes to the lender after it does not sell at the auction. Keeping a foreclosed house on its inventory results in the bank incurring reasonably high maintenance costs, and this is why they are usually in a hurry to sell their foreclosed property. This is also the reason they are known to offer substantial discounts.
All foreclosure homes should be inspected before they are bought, as some could be in very run down conditions. Also, look at as many homes as you can before you pick the one you want. The more homes you look at, the more the options you’d have.
