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Whatcom County, Washington Homes For Sale. Find a Wholesale Bank-Owned REO in Whatcom County, Washington, WA:Featured Topic: REOWhen a bank takes back a home in foreclosure, it becomes an REO and is assigned to a local agent. Before making an offer on a REO, have your agent contact the the listing agent and ask the following questions: (1) Are there any inspection reports, (2) What work has the bank agreed to, (3) Is there a special "as is" form, (4) How long does it take the bank to accept an offer, and (5) How does your agent deliver the offer? Conventional financing is available for REO properties but will require a substantial down payment, good fico score and documented income. Although speculative investing is blamed for many of the current economic problems, knowlegeable investors will ultimately end up being a large part of the the solution and help liquidate the bank owned inventory. REO listing agents are often skeptical of an investor that has taken a weekend seminar and makes uneducated offers. Many of the currently low priced REO's that look good on paper are in fact non conforming and have many bad features such as undesirable configurations, small square footage, border noisy streets or have bad add ons. The only time the deposit check is cashed in an REO offer is when the offer has been accepted. A property that is still in foreclosure does not yet belong to the bank and the homeowner must be engaged. An REO purchase does not involve the homeowner. It is important that REO investors look for water damage and the evidence of mold as the water service may not be on and leaks can not be easily evaluated. When selecting a buy an hold cashflow property, take care to think about what areas you would like to own homes in 5 years from now. It is important to consider this and not just buy the cheapest deals. Home Path Renovation Mortgage Financing is special financing on Fannie Mae homes and is available from several lenders. Fannie Mae will not accept REO offers contingent on the sale of your current home. Other types of contingencies will be considered on a case-by-case basis. The bank may ask for you to submit a loan application so it can prequalify you for an REO, however, you are not obligated to obtain your loan from that bank. The US Department of Housing and Urban Development's REO properties are a result of FHA paying a claim to a lending institution on a foreclosed property which was financed with FHA Insured Mortgage and the lender transferring ownership of the property to HUD. An REO can be a good opportunity to get a property below market value, with a clear title and free possession. The new REO warranty incentive is part of a HomeSteps' SmartBuy sales promotion, which began on July 17 and is scheduled to run through October 30, 2009. HomeSteps, the REO disposition and sales unit of Freddie Mac, markets a nationwide selection of Freddie Mac-owned homes. It is important to consider quality when buying an REO in this market. A quality home in a quality area in good condition will produce a higher quality renter and improve vacancy rates, cash flow and appreciation over time. This may be more costly initially and take more work to find but will pay dividends at the end of the cycle. REO tip....take extra care to estimate repair costs on the lower priced inventory. There is usually a reason for the low list price and many times it is a costly or loan killing defect. There are three phases of a foreclosure; pre-foreclosure/short sale, auction, and REO (real estate owned) REOs are properties that the lender has failed to sell at auction. At this point, since the home has gone back to the lender, the mortgage no longer exists. |
