Buying a forclosure house
 

I had a thread a year ago, here: old thread

This week the court entered a Default on the next door house, which I think means the house will be auctioned in a month or so. (Is that how it goes?)

I am thinking about a lo-ball bid. Anyone done this? How was the process. What would make it a non-starter, economics aside?

Local county web info: online auction

FWIW I bought my house by online bid, from HUD 6 years ago, but am non the wiser how this could/should go.


Thanks All!

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

The likely first thing that will happen is that the bank owed the money will send their lawyer down to the courthouse (or if I read your post right, on-line) to bid whatever the bank is owed, thereby ensuring than the bank gets to control who gets to buy the house and for how much, and that it isn't "stolen" for a lot less than the anount owed. True low-ball bids rarely succeed in foreclosures where the mortgagee has defaulted.

Tax lien foreclosures can have greater potential for winning with a low-ball bid, depending on how much the tax lien is allowed to increase before the taxing authority forecloses.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

Sounds like a reasonable assumption. So the bid would need to cover the outstanding debt to be viable? Or the bank not paying attention, or wrote it off?

I was thinking a $20k bid max, given the old thread, where I guesstimate the debt, which is also in line with the vacant lot sales last year.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

In virtually all cases the bank has sold the debt, so it is not within the bank's power to just write it off. There will be no harm done in trying a low-ball bid, but it depends entirely on what the bank lent, what it does, and of course who else bids. I would like to try a foreclosure auction one day myself one day, it sounds like fun. :)

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

Just curious is a bank forced sale the same as a foreclosure?

I know it's in Canada but maybe the US does something similar, the house next to the mother in law recently sold but the sign on the real estate sign out front said bank forced sale.

I know the people who lived there didn't own it, the husbands mom did, and she died unexpectedly from a heart attack and paid the mortgage, so I assume that's why the bank forced the sale.

Sold for a nice chunk of change 789,000.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

I wish we had tried to buy the foreclosure next to us.

What is it about that house that attracts crazy people? Never fails..3rd one in a row! Mind you looking at what is going on there it may be back into foreclosure again soon:fingerscrossed:

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

You're absolutely correct. The last one I was at, the bank was owed $400,000. I knew 2 of the bidders, and one told me she was going to bid a max of $300,000. The bank was the lone bidder at $400,000.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

Happens all the time, Bank buys it back.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

Disappointing. I just registered on the auction site and a quick search revealed 6 sales this year in my zip code with BoA as the plaintif/bank. All were won by BoA using $100 auto bids. 2 they got for the $100, the others for $100 over the next bidder, but substantially less than the judgement amount, which I suppose what they are owed.

2 more sales are scheduled, so I will watch those. Mine is not listed yet, so a bit more court action to come I suspect.

Interesting though, very e-bay-like.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

It's pretty much a required step to get the property registered in the name of the bank so that the bank can sell it.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

Odd thing. I am on the prowl for a disney villa to rent, and I dug up the address of the one Dad rented 10 years ago. Perusing the public records, it was apparently acquired last month at auction, by the HOA for $100 who had a lien for fees, and not the bank with the 250k mortgage... what can one make of that info?

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

The bank wasn't notified and dropped the ball (didn't notice). :eek: ...... I suspect the bank will sue the HOA for the value of the mortgage, so the HOA had better make sure they sell it for at least that much!

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

Somebody screwed up?

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

:lol:

So, the owner just got fed up with getting whacked with HOA fees and presumably various fines for not doing whatever they wanted them to do?

Even so, this could turn out to be a lucrative business for a local HOA.
If they sell for a profit, what do they get to do with the funds? Are they under obligation to make that information publicly available?

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

A friend of mine was fined by her HOA $100 for over watering her plants.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

Is that realistic? Does the bank get a second crack? They instigated the action I suppose. and lost...

This is the scenario I was thinking about to nab the house next door from the bank!

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

For that to happen there have to be multiple points of failure.

If it was a vacation rental, I would say that the managing agent dropped the ball (did not pay, or did not notify the owner), or notified the owner, who failed to send payment.

I still think the bank will try to come after the HOA, though whether they would win in court may be a moot point as I doubt the HOA will have a deep enough pocket to fund a legal action they might lose when they're just fighting to keep a windfall gain. In other words the bank's lawyer may just intimidate the HOA into settling.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

First thing would be if the HOA charge is valid, maybe not.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

If it makes a difference, it was not just the hoa fees delinquent, the mortgage was too, if it was not clear.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

HOA are not going to do that for $100.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

I wouldn't do that for $100 either. (What are we talking about?)

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

I thought the lien was $100 Duh

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

OK. The HOA lien for fees is an unspecified amount, presumably inferior to the $250k mortgage.

$100 I mentioned was the sale price at auction for the property last month.

edit - it was specified - about $6k

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

In trying to find a link about hoa insiders being in on selling off houses cheap with hoa liens (which I couldn't find) I found a link about the superiority of liens. Hoa liens being quite superior apparently.

What happens to superior liens during foreclosure? • Mortgage Insider

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

It depends on (the) state laws and foreclosure laws. Many states, HOAs retain extremely senior rights to a property in its community, even over that of a bank (and basically are second to Tax on the totem pole). Therefore they do infact have the right to foreclose on the property for unpaid dues; because of that, all they have to do, like normal procedure, is notify subordinate interest holders of their foreclosure, but not be obligated to accept pay off of their lien from the junior position holders, who do run the risk of being s.o.l. (Bank). Often though, they will go ahead and be paid by the bank as its easier to get their owed funds that way rather than go through the foreclose procedures. There may also be state laws as to how much an HOA is allowed to capitalize from such sale after foreclosure. The bank probably will sue somebody, probably not the HOA because, afterall, it was a legit foreclosure and sale, but the foreclosed homeowner as they are still owed money from them by means of the deed of trust, so such judgement would probably continue to follow them rather than they be forgiven on the note. It would be very common to see bankruptcy in such extreme situations.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

This is the most eye-opening thing I have read in a long time. Thank you.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

A 100k house came up in my neighborhood for auction tomorrow - I just put in a $200 bid. So exciting!

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

:fingerscrossed: :lol:

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

Sold for 80k to the bank. Serious bids started at 40k.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

I had a $400 lien put on my house by a contractor. they ended up dropping the lien after we had both paid a few thousand in attorney fees.

This sort of stuff should really go through small claims. Welcome to America.

It's very easy to lien a property, and yes, some HOAs will put on a lien for $100

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

Would you buy a 100k house unseen for 80k? Personally I would pay the extra 20k and have the ability to have an inspection. It doesn't take much in repairs to add up to 20k.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

Liens cost a few hundred dollars, so it's not worth doing for less than a few thousand, and you can't even get the money until the house is sold. That never rules out what little Hitlers who run HOAs will do though.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

After a lien is established, they can then force a foreclosure. They can add the lawyers costs to the lien. So what starts off as $100 lien turns into a $3000 lien and then they foreclose.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

I almost got one for $200 today! Wells Fargo out bid me by $100. :rolleyes:

I had bid $200 2 days ago, when "plaintiffs max bid" was hidden. Yesterday, PMB appeared, as the judgement amount ($55k). I wonder if it was in response to my bid, or just them dealing with "today's business".

In the last year, the lowest non plaintiff successful bidder was $1000, an apartment/condo assessed at $17k:ohmy:

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

I'm fascinated about making offers of a few hundred dollars! I bought a foreclosure, as a holiday home, in Florida at the end of last year. It was advertised for $40000 and was bank owned. I got it for $34000. In terms of price history, it had been sold around 2005 for $85K and when it went to foreclosure in 2014 there was $115K outstanding on the mortgage.
So there are bargains to be had, though mine has already more than doubled in value due to a significant local upturn in property prices.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

Hi! I am toying with these foreclosures so far. It appears highly unlikely I would snap one up for hundreds, but nothing to lose by trying!

Bank owned auctions are slightly different. I bought my house at auction (HUD owned actually) That seems to be one step after the foreclosure auction, where the bank almost inevitably gains possession.

My HUD auction allowed for inspections of the property etc. The foreclosure auction does not. In fact many/most appear to be occupied property, so eviction would come into play. I am trying to learn by sticking my toes in.
From what I have seen, there are some hardcore investors bidding - half a dozen names come up frequently, with relatively big bucks bids.

Then again, there are about 150 properties a week on offer just in my county.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

House next door to the MIL was a foreclosure, no auction though, bank put it on the market as is where is and got pretty close to market value.

The occupants were less then willing to vacate though, so the bailiffs and police assisted them in leaving.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

Dragging this thread up for an update. This week the judgement was (finally) made and the auction is set for April 8th. Judgement amount is $230k. Assessed value is $67k.

I don't think my $20k will cut it. Still watching with interest though.

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

I recently found a new auction site that may be of interest

https://www.homesearch.com/realestat...beach-fl-33062

Re: Buying a forclosure house
 

So the auction went ahead yesterday. Someone bid up to $85k, but the bank still won!
The tenant/squatter moved out the day before. Hopefully it won't be vacant too long, the back yard is already getting jungle-like.