Interested in REO property or a foreclosure in Durham?

What is an REO?

"REO" or Real Estate Owned are homes which have gone through foreclosure that the bank or mortgage company currently possesses. This is unlike a property up for foreclosure auction.

If you buy a property during a foreclosure sale, you must pay at least the loan balance plus any interest and other fees amassed during the foreclosure process. You must also be willing to pay with cash in hand. To top everything off, you'll receive the property entirely as is. That could include standing liens and even current tenants that need to be kicked out.

A bank-owned property, on the other hand, is a much cleaner and attractive option. The REO property didn't find a buyer during foreclosure auction. Now the lender owns it. The bank will deal with the removal of tax liens, evict occupants if needed and generally arrange for the issuance of a title insurance policy to the buyer at closing.

You should be aware that REOs may be exempt from standard disclosure requirements. For example, in North Carolina, it is optional for foreclosures to have a Property Disclosure Statement, a document that typically requires sellers to disclose any defects they are aware of. By hiring Bullard Properties, you can rest assured knowing all parties are fulfilling North Carolina state disclosure requirements.

Are REO properties a bargain in Durham County?

It is commonly thought that any foreclosure must be a steal and an opportunity for guaranteed profit. This isn't necessarily true. You have to be very careful about buying a repossession if your intent is to profit from the sale. Even though the bank is usually eager to offload it soon, they are also looking to get as much as they can for it.

When contemplating what to pay for REO property, you need to look closely at comparable sales in the neighborhood and be sure to take into account the time and cost of any repairs or remodeling needed to prepare the house for resale. The bargains with money making potential exist, and many people do very well buying foreclosures. Still, there are also many REOs that are not good buys and may lose money.

All set to make an offer?

Most banks have staff dedicated to REO that you'll work with in buying REO property from them. To get their properties advertised on the local MLS, the lender will typically contract with a listing agent.

Prior to making your offer, you'll want to contact either the listing agent or REO department at the bank and discover as much as you can about their knowledge concerning the condition of the property and what their process is for taking offers. Since banks almost always sell REO properties "as is", it's often prudent to include an inspection contingency in your offer that gives you time to check for unseen damage and retract the offer if you find it. As with making any offer on real estate, providing documentation proving your ability to pay may make your offer more attractive, such as a pre-approval letter from a lender.

Once you've submitted your offer, you can expect the bank to make a counter offer. From there it will be up to you to decide whether to accept their counter, or submit another counter offer. Your transaction might be settled in a single day, but that's usually not the case. Since offers and counter offers usually allow a day or more for the other party to respond (and employees at a bank don't work nights or weekends) you could be looking at a week or longer.