A bank foreclosure is a home or a property owned by banks or lenders as a result of foreclosure and put into public auction. Foreclosure is a pocedure that has to take place when a homeowner doesn't manage to pay the mortgage loan. When a public notice is filed for eviction, the process is called pre-foreclosure. If the property is taken by the bank and is currently vacant, then the real estate is called REO. Bank foreclosure is the most popular type of foreclosure for people which are new in the business. They consider their investment safer if they use this type of foreclosure instead of another.

Because auctions are organized frequently for the selling of foreclosed properties, the real estate has once again the chance to become REO. The selling of these REO properties can be made through a real estate agent or a third-party marketing company on the open market. If the purchase of the property doesn't occur and if the former owner participates at the auction and has the highest bid, then the property is given back to him, but will be owned by the bank.

Bank foreclosure offers a lot of oportunities and advantages due to certain features of these properties. A bank foreclosure is easier to buy because there are no back taxes or any other problems related to the property one would normally have to deal with. The interested part can even negotiate the price. Most importantly, a bank foreclosure can be bought at a price with 10-20% less than the market value of the house and save up to 50%. Of course, there might be other expenses you might have to think about, like the price of the renovation of the property because no one guarantees the property will be good as new. If your deal is bargain, this is because the bank foreclosure is a profit loss for the owners and, by extent, a gain on the part of the buyer.

Not only individuals are interested in buying bank foreclosure. Real estate agents make a part of their income by using an updated foreclosure listing, by purchasing homes cheap and selling them for a profit. This has the effect of turning foreclosure properties into highly demanded real estate. So, if you want to become an investor in the real estate market, you have to know a few things first and do a little research in your own foreclosure listing.

"Where can I get a foreclosure listing?" comes to mind. If interested in buying a house, you can check the local bank. There are also government agencies which can provide you with one, but the most common way to obtain a foreclosure listing is the Internet. When browsing the web one will surely come across many web sites that offer reliable services and can provide an online foreclosure listing. However, this does not mean that any foreclosure list is valuable. Foreclosure lists have to be permanently updated and their information mustn't be partial to be helpful. A good foreclosure listing is helpful for both real estate investors and interested individuals. This is why we recommend you foreclosure1.com which can supply additional data to what you already know and whose foreclosure listing is the solution for an organized search of bank foreclosure. In fact, consulting a foreclosure listing like the one we've just mentioned is a lot easier and better than calling banks to find out about current real estate owned properties for sale or looking through court documents and newspapers.

A foreclosure listing presents the latest properties that are now considered bank foreclosure and through an attentive search, one can find the perfect real estate before the competition does. Another advantage is that a good foreclosure listing allows one to find foreclosed real estate at any time (be it day or night). If the future investor uses a foreclosure listing, he can save money as well as time and effort because the bank foreclosure is easier to find and more accessible for the interested public. The pertinent information contained in a foreclosure listing can be a blessing for a person who doesn't want to waste any time and who wants to find the perfect bank foreclosure as soon as possible.

Some of the reasons why a bank foreclosure can be perfect for purchase are:
- Because there are no property title issues involved, there won't be any problem in getting the title policy when closing the contract;
- Because the bank has already paid everything, one won't have to worry about back taxes;
- The house is vacant so it can be visited as many times as necessary before closing the deal;
- One can choose the area where he/she wants to buy the house with the help of a foreclosure listing.
- You (the person interested in buying) can deal directly with the bank, without appealing to a real estate agent
- There won't be any arguing with the homeowner about the "correct" amount of equity.

After all these being said, buying bank foreclosure homes becomes the safest method of purchasing a property. The process is easy and eliminates or reduces many risks associated with other forms of purchase than bank foreclosure.