Foreclosed Houses: How to Get Your Dream Home for Less

This is a buyer's market and there are hundreds of foreclosures available. Now that President Obama is putting forth a new plan to aide the short sale market, more and  more homeowners will be looking to sell their homes quickly.  So buying your dream home just maybe easier than you thought.

Oh if life was just that simple to get my dream home for less and much less through a foreclosure sale.  Does it not make sense if you are going to buy a home that it would be a foreclosed home?  Yet, better buying a home from a seller who is in foreclosure to save him from going through the process.  Well, I sure wish it was that easy.  Read on about how to do this:

All the Internet is a buzz about foreclosures.  I am sorry, but foreclosures have been popular since I first started in Real Estate back in the 80's.  People or investors have been buying them up like crazy, renovating and then place them back on the market and becoming rich.  Those investors are now writing books on how to become a millionaire with no money down.  Things have changed since the 80's on how to buy foreclosures, but the deals are still there.

Buyer Beware Should be Stamped on Every Foreclosure Sale:

A first time home buyer cannot and I mean cannot show up on the courthouse steps and purchase a home without legal representation.  First you must be willing to pay cash for the home in many states such as California and second you have to be willing to satisfy all the liens against the property.  Most lien holders will show up on the steps also to get their money.

A smart way is to have a title report before going to the auction and see exactly what is showing against the property.  Then you need to evict the owner of the property, which is not that easy to do.  After you evict the tenant, you need to make the repairs done by the angry tenant.  The costs are mounting here and your once very good deal for your dream home, just may end up costing you more than one that is currently on the market.

Where to Look for Foreclosures:

There are a number of ways to buy foreclosures.  As I have discussed above, the best deals are on the court house steps, but this is also the most dangerous way to buy.  Understand that if you purchase through a bank or other government owned place the price will be more.  The good part about most foreclosures on the market is that the tenant will be evicted at this point and some repairs will be made except for HUD homes.  They do allow you to finance the repairs necessary on the home.

The places that have foreclosures are:

1.  HUD homes through sealed bids.
2.  FHA homes
3.  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac homes
4.  VA homes
5.  Bank REO's (also known as the loss and mitigation department)
6.  IRS and the Marshall's Office
7.  Local real estate office

Websites That Have Foreclosures for Sale:

One of the main websites to search for all listed foreclosures is Realtor.com.  They are the largest researched site on the web.  Every home that is listed on the MLS (multiple listing service) will be available to them and no other place will have more.  There are many sites that advertise foreclosures and they charge for their service.  This is not necessary and most of the time a rip-off.

When searching for your dream home it is best to contact several real estate agents and ask them to search for the best deals and to call you when they have what you are looking for. It is not necessary to commit to one Realtor, but commit to the one who brings you the best deal.  Contact your local title company and ask for a list of all foreclosed homes.  Once you get this list start sending out letters to the homeowners offering to buy their homes.

Many foreclosed homes can be bought with little money if you are dealing directly with the homeowner.  Many times you can agree to assume the loan or do a lease on the property. With more and more foreclosures everyday, creative financing is ever popular.  Sad to see a family lose their home, but if you can help them out of a bad situation it is better.  Remember to always check with an Attorney before agreeing to any deal if you are going through a private owner.

Which country is the best in Europe to live in?

I have traveled the world and have been to every country from America to Korea, I can tell you positively that the best country in Europe is Germany. I spent four wonderful years there and I have been to Bremerhaven up north on the sea to Frankfurt the capital and Oldenberg, the most beautiful place you can imagine.

The town of Weisenberg

I lived in Weisenberg for awhile and it is right out of the encyclopedia with its beauty. Weisenberg is the flower capital of Germany and I had fresh flowers all the time. They are so cheap and so beautiful. Imagine going to the florist and trying to choose from yellow roses, pink carnations, yellow tulips and purple daffodils. The color and the beauty are unimaginable. The lawns are all spewed with colors of the rainbows. Huge trees line the streets and the homes are immaculate.

I also learned how to decorate cakes there. I would decorate all kinds of cakes with many types of flowers on them. I taught myself in my free time, that is when I wasn't shopping. I sold all the cakes and I made macrame which I sold to the florist shops. The people were generous, giving and very sociable. We actually considered staying in Germany permanently as the weather, the community and the money were very good there.

The town of Bremerhaven

Taking a ride to Bremerhaven through the wonderful countryside is breathtaking and then when you arrive at the water ferry to go into Bremerhaven, it is dreamy. Many colors of rocks and cliffs line the passage and everyone goes to the edge to see the water splashing on the sides of the ferry. Just like the movies, as you board your car on the ferry and sail across the water to arrive in the beautiful city of Bremerhaven, you are greeted with many locals waving to you. Of course no trip would be complete without a nice big cup of tea.

Germans just love to drink and be hospitable. When you go to their homes, their buffets are lined with liquors of every kind. It is considered a huge insult if you do not have a drink with them. You must accept their gracious hospitality. They have a wonderful drink called Strawberry Rumtoff. This is 1/3 jar full of fresh strawberries, 1/3 jar of sugar and the rest of course is rum. You place the jar in a dark cabinet to set up for two weeks. Then you pour some of this drink in a glass along with one or two strawberries. It tastes like strawberry punch, until you bite into the strawberry. Then wow, the rum hits you full force. Those were the days that I remember there for sure.

The people are trusting, friendly and very helpful. They don't require any deposits or security, everything is done on trust. I remember once I did not have any money and I wanted to go shopping. A woman in the cafeteria handed me 100 dollars and said, "Enjoy your day." I was shocked at her generosity. There was no mention of pay me back tomorrow or anything. When you go to have anything repaired, they will not ask for a deposit. It is all done on trust.

The town of Oldenberg

I have to say some of my fondest memories are of Oldenberg. It has cobble stone lined streets, old fashioned store fronts and lots of pizza shops. It is the old world type of city with many shops selling figurines. From buying huge beer steins to very expensive Hummels, it is all there. I had a huge collection of Hummel figurines and they are quite expensive. I had Liadros from Italy also. There are so many shops with people riding bicycles everywhere.

I had a yellow VW and I drove that car to death. The neighbors swore I would blow the engine in the car and indeed I did. It was a fun time and it was wonderful. My son absolutely loved the breads and pastries and I loved the cheeses. The pastry is sweet, but not too sweet. The breads are huge and wonderful and the pizza is eaten with a fork. What's not to like about Germany?

The prices are good also on everything. On Halloween all the shops open up and they give out candy and treat to the many trick or treat children. I wish you could see the countryside and the mountains filled with flowers. I wish you could come with me and see the cobble stone streets and the windows filled with Delph Blue from Holland. I wished you could go shopping with me and pick out some stoneware that had just been hand painted and yes I wish you could have some strawberry Rumtoff also. But, if you are truly wondering where the best country in Europe is, wonder no more my friend?