A foreclosure property auction takes place when the property owner is not able to pay the mortgage fees on the property and so he has to give up the land to pay back what is owned. The property is sold to the public through government sales programs. FDIC, HUD, SBA, AND VA all sell foreclosed properties. There are many homes nearing foreclosure due to mortgage nonpayment, IRS tax seizures, condemnation or abandonment, probate after a death, and non payment of real estate tax. If you are interested in buying foreclosure properties then he can check the local newspapers ads or through websites. Certain local real estate agents or internet sites can help you in purchasing foreclosed properties. Try to check out with government agencies like federal housing administration, and veteran's administration about foreclosed properties that are in your area. Try to check out all the foreclosed properties in that area. Before buying any foreclosed property determine its market value; compare the value of that property with the other properties in that area. Contact the trustee about the foreclosure sale to know about the minimum bid the lender will accept. See as to how you will pay for the foreclosed property. In the auction make the bidding for foreclosed property or submit a sealed bid to a lender after the foreclosure sale.

Mostly foreclosure properties are purchased by investors because they are sold at below market value prices, the investor will purchase it and then sell it for a profit which is referred as flipping. Certain parts of the area are still expensive so first time home buyers are looking into foreclosure. According to a survey, there are nearly 20 percent of investors who are first time investors of foreclosed properties and another 10 percent buy a second hand house. When a bank has two or more foreclosures, the investors can negotiate with the prices. Since banks want to get rid of these properties they negotiate with the investors and give the property for discount. Bank owned properties also known as REO - are generally sold through real estate brokers. When certain properties are purchased by means of loans by the federal housing administration and the investors don't pay the installment amount then the property goes for foreclosure, these properties are sold by the government itself. If you communicate with the homeowner directly whose property is in legal foreclosure it may be possible to buy the home prior to auction by giving the homeowner a small amount of cash in exchange for any equity in the house. It's important to check out the existing liens or other debts on the property, so you know what you're getting into. If the cost of paying the lender for the home and making repairs are more than the market value it is a bad deal. If you are deciding to purchase the home directly from the home maker then it is important to have a local real estate lawyer draft the purchase agreement.