Investing in Las Vegas Real Estate – Pre-Foreclosures and Foreclosures
Negotiating to buy distressed properties from a lender certainly shouldn’t trouble the conscience of an investor; however, some investors feel pangs of guilt when trying to negotiate a deal with a Las Vegas Homeowner in financial difficulty.
If you are a creative investor with a conscience, you are not trying to take unfair advantage of anybody. You are not a predator. Instead, you will be attempting to promote a win-win situation that relieves the homeowner of his/her burden, and creates a profitable deal for yourself. This can be done, and is frequently done.
Las Vegas Homeowners in financial difficulty, and who are in danger of losing their home, but are not as yet in a pre-foreclosure situation, would certainly welcome the opportunity to sell at a fair price, and the lender would equally be freed of the expense and difficulties involved in foreclosing and trying to recoup at least a part of their investment.
Seems only fair that the investor should earn a certain profit for his efforts and output of funds. Besides, depending upon the condition of the home, the investor may have additional expenditures for repairs and upgrades necessary to increase the property’s value.
If the homeowner is already in a foreclosure situation, the investor must contact the borrower first, and cannot approach the lender or learn details of the borrowers overall financial situation from the lender without written permission from the borrower.
Once the negotiation process has begun, the investor, regardless of whether dealing with a bank, private lender, or a government agency ( FHA, VA, etc.,) will no doubt have an exit strategy that will include contingency clauses in the proposal. These clauses basically gives the investor an “out” if, for example, the appraisal report is negative for one reason or another, or if a home inspection reveals certain serious problems, such as structural damage.
Additionally, the investor may -unless it is an all cash purchase- specify in the proposal agreement that the purchase is contingent upon the investor obtaining financing under specific terms and conditions.
We are only scraping the surface at this point, since there are many other factors to consider as an investor in foreclosure and pre-foreclosure property. Since this type of real estate investing can be as complex as it is profitable, it probably should be avoided by a new player in the field, and left to the expertise of a more seasoned investor who conferences with advisers that have considerable experience in this specific area of real estate investment.
Negotiating the purchase of a pre-foreclosure, buying a property at a foreclosure auction, or purchasing the foreclosed property from a lender each take a different negotiating tactic which will be covered in brief in the second part of this article.
If you have any questions about investing in Las Vegas Real Estate, feel free to give us a call at 702.376.0088.
About the Author
Tony Sena is broker/owner of Shelter Realty in Las Vegas Nevada. For more than a decade Tony and his partners have provided residential real estate and property management services to sellers, buyers, investors, and property owners in the Las Vegas Valley. A Las Vegas native and former police officer for the City of Henderson, Tony brings to the table a unique local perspective that continues to serve his clients well.