March 10th, 2010What To Understand Concerning Georgia Foreclosures
While it is true that Georgia Foreclosures offer some great bargains, you will need to know a little information before jumping in with both feet to purchase a foreclosed home. This information may save you very large costs down the road.
On a nationwide basis, one of the biggest bargains for property is through a pre-foreclosure sale. With this sale, the owner has received a notice of default on his property and must work quickly to pay the loan in full or will lose the property due to the default. Often owners will be willing to sell the property for slightly more than is owed in order to protect their credit rating.
In Georgia, homeowners only have 30 days from the notice of default before the property can be foreclosed. This time is longer in other states, so you should be aware of the short fuse when considering pre-foreclosed property in Georgia.
Once a home has actually been foreclosed, the next step is an auction to recover the amount of money owed on the house. That auction normally takes place on the courthouse steps at the local county courthouse. You do not have opportunity to see the home and the purchase price must be made in cash. This type of sale is made without title insurance, so you may find out later that there are liens, second mortgages or back taxes due on the property. If so, you will be responsible for paying these bills of the previous homeowner to get a clear title to the property.
If there are no bids on the property or if the bids are for less than the bank is willing to take to settle the debt on the house, then the bank will take possession of the home and list it for sale with a Realtor. Banks with few foreclosures will often list the home for near market value in order to increase their profits. If the bank has several foreclosures, they may be willing to sell the property at a lower price.
Properties that have been foreclosed by the government through the VA or FHA loan program are treated differently. These homes are owned by the government after foreclosure. Bids on these homes must be placed through Realtors that are certified to take the bids.
In order to give persons wanting to live in the home an advantage over investors, only those persons that intend to live in the home will be able to purchase it during the first 45 days it is listed. After that time is up; however, the home can be purchased by anyone.
While Georgia foreclosures can offer some bargain prices, there are some things of which you should be aware. Homes sold on the courthouse steps may are a high risk. Pre-foreclosure properties are often a better value than those owned by the bank. Government owned properties have a different procedure for purchase than do other foreclosed properties.
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