Foreclosure properties are not always a bargain

We get a lot of phone calls from potential buyers. They usually go like this, “What can you tell me about buying a property at a foreclosure sale?”  My answer, “Don’t unless you have done it before and you were successful.”

The New York Times ran a story, “Avoid Foreclosure Market Until the Dust Settles” by Ron Lieber. He writes,

“Are you out of your mind to even consider buying a foreclosed property right now?”

He tells the tale of Todd Phelps and Paul Whitehead “thought they had won the lottery” when they bought a property at a foreclosure sale.

“Several days later, however, they realized that what they had really bought was a second mortgage from Wachovia on a house that still had an enormous, unpaid primary loan. In other words, they did not own the home free and clear, and the auction company wouldn’t give back their $137,000 check.”

Admittedly, these homes are “tempting for scores of first-time homebuyers, second-home seekers and people looking to get an early jump on buying a retirement home while prices and interest rates are low.”

Bidding on a foreclosed home does have its pitfalls but it’s a way to get a start in the real estate market. And we have many clients who make a living buying at foreclosure sales, fixing up the property and selling it. Yet, the Phelps and Whitehead story is a cautionary one and you are invited to read the full report here.

For your next title order or

if you have questions about what you see here, contact

Stephen M. Flatow, Esq.

Vested Title Inc.

165 Passaic Avenue, Suite 101

Fairfield, NJ 07004

Tel 973-808-6130 - Fax 201-656-4506

E-mail vti@vested.com - www.vested.com

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