"I want to buy a foreclosure, I hear they grow on trees!" "Where can I get a list of foreclosures?" I hear these questions a number of times a month from various people. They hear all the hype in the media, then watch one too many infomercials, and think it’s as easy as 1-2-flip to make their $100k this year. Next thing you know, they’re fantasizing about quitting their job, working 2 hours a week from home, and raking in the profits. Believe me, if it were that easy, there wouldn’t be infomercials about it! Those ‘gurus’ you see on tv would be giving trump a run for his money, never spilling a word about how they’re doing it, not even to their closest family members. They certainly wouldn’t be selling some 100 page ‘manual’ on late night tv for $20 each!
Yes, I can give you a list of foreclosures. In fact, I can give you a list of about 150 new foreclosures every day. The question is what are you going to do with them? Most people I encounter believe that if it’s in foreclosure, it’s for sale. They think that the owners must WANT to sell their homes long before the bank starts the foreclosure process, and are begging for someone to come take it off their hands for a rock bottom price. Let me sum it up in one word- WRONG. In my 7+ years in the pre-foreclosure business, I’d say that less than 1% of the people I’ve encountered have ever WANTED to sell their homes. All the rest want to stay and keep their home. They haven’t come to terms with the reality of the situation yet, and are still scrambling to get a loan or win the lottery.
If you don’t believe me, I invite you to go to the County Recorder’s site, look up a Notice of Trustee’s Sale, and go knock on the door of one of those houses in foreclosure. You’ll figure it out in about 10 seconds how these people feel about selling their home. You’ll be one of about 20 who have knocked on their door THAT DAY. It’s MUCH tougher than you would think. If you enjoy being threatened, chased off a property, law suits thrown at you, then you found your calling. Not to mention all the ways the deal can go bad and backfire on you later. I see it happen all the time. Believe me, it’s a tough and risky way to find deals.
Yes, there’s ways to do it, but it takes a TON of knowledge, practice, and guts to make it happen. Why not leave that to the professionals who do this day in and day out? Oh, because you want to get it for cheaper than what they’re selling it to you for. I understand. So, let me ask you this- the next time you buy a home, why use a loan officer to get your mortgage for you? You could go directly to 1,000+ banks, shop their loans, negotiate the best rate/price/terms and cut the mortgage broker right out of the equation. It’d save you a few thousand dollars in costs! Or instead of going to a car dealership for your next vehicle purchase, why not go directly to the auto auctions and purchase it directly yourself? Again, it would save you about $5-7k on the cost of the car. All you have to do is find the auctions, research them every day, go there, research the vehicle to make sure it’s in top condition, and play the bidding war until you win. Sound like fun? Or, is it worth the few extra thousand to save the hassle, and buy direct from a professional? I agree.
A professional knows the ins and outs, the pitfalls and winning strategies. They know what’s legal and what’s not. They know which are good deals, and which are not. Most importantly, they have deals coming at them continuously, so they can pick out the best one for your investing portfolio. And for a few thousand dollars more, it’s worth their time and effort. I am currently tracking thousands of foreclosure deals in Maricopa County. All of these are ready to be sold, and just need a buyer. If you’re ready to pick up a deal, contact me and we’ll go to work for you. Leave the dirty work to the professionals.
