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Purchasing Tips It's critical to have the home professionally inspected before you make an offer or put down earnest money. The inspector will assess the structure's soundness and may uncover problems that would be very costly to repair. Banks usually sell foreclosed homes as-is, meaning they won't make any allowances for repair. And even in a short sale, they likely won't make any such allowances, because they're already losing money on the transaction. You should have your financing in order before pursuing a foreclosure purchase. Pre-approved buyers have the best chance of getting the property in case of multiple offers. Also, banks generally aren't interested in contingencies (for instance, needing to sell your current home before purchasing another). You might also consider hiring an appraiser who'll tell you what the house is worth. A qualified real estate agent can also perform a Comparative Market Analysis. To guide you through the process - from obt...

Is a distressed property for you? Here are pros and cons of buying one: Advantages of Buying a Distressed Property First, you'll be dealing with a highly motivated seller – either a bank in the case of a foreclosure, or in a short sale, sellers who are in financial trouble and very interested in getting out of a mortgage they can no longer afford. These types of sales take much of the emotion out of the process. You won't be insulting anybody, for instance, if you make an offer that's lower than the asking price. (That's not to say that the low offer will necessarily be accepted, of course.) Lenders are extremely interested in getting these homes sold and off the liability side of their balance sheets. Many foreclosed properties can be purchased for only a percentage of what they would have commanded five years ago. (This situation is beginning to change, though; bidding wars are breaking out on some foreclosed properties these days, especially those that are moderately...