Colorado House Buyer

Homeowners whose homes have been put up for foreclosure are unfortunate but investors are somewhat lucky to find these deals on the market. Even with a “run-down” property, an investor can flip it and make a decent amount of money on its resale. The process of colorado springs foreclosures is somewhat simpler than other areas of the country as there is no need for a court appearance by neither the lender nor the borrower.

How does a foreclosure work?

When a borrower has defaulted on a loan, the lending institution issues a notice to the borrower and trustee. The lender requires a 3-moth reinstatement period to give the borrower the chance to pay the debt. When this time period elapses, a trustee’s sale is publicized, typically in the form of an auction. All costs related to the foreclosure and the principal amount is deducted from the winning bid. The balance is then given to the borrower.

Why foreclosures are good news for investors

A foreclosure is a good opportunity for an investor to snag real estate. This is especially true about Colorado Springs foreclosures. Though the market has experienced a dip in prices, the housing values in Colorado Springs are at a steady rise ranging from 2% to 6%. In addition, defaulted banks are willing to sell foreclosures at lower than normal prices in order to recoup what they have lost. They aren’t interested in real estate, they are more interested with lending money to new buyers.

There is actually an even better situation for investors as it relates to foreclosures. There is the instance when a property is sold in pre-foreclosure which means less cost and time. The buyer has more power to negotiate as the seller is willing to forego equity on the property to evade the tarnish to their credit report.

What are the steps that a buyer should take?

As a buyer, you should do a lot of research to find the right property. If you are planning on using the property as a primary residence, then factors such as the school district, the crime rate, local amenities, long-term plans for the area and comparable properties in the area should all be considered. When a property is decided upon, the next step is to approach a bank to get pre-qualified for a loan.

During this time, it’s recommended that you avoid making huge purchases. Lenders use your debt-to-income ration to establish what you can afford. It will include monthly housing costs, car payments, credit cards, student loans, etc. Additional debt will negatively impact the amount the lender will finance.

The next step is to either contact the seller or go to the auction to submit an offer. The ideal price will take into account the fact that banks hardly want less than 90% of the loan balance. Also, you should get the property professionally inspected. It makes no sense getting a “money pit” that has a lot of shortcomings which will end up costing a lot of money to fix. Keep this in mind when negotiating a price.

Another category that Colorado Springs has been made mentioned in many times, is one of the best areas to purchase a home in the recovering housing market.

Positive rankings such as these make Colorado Springs an ideal place to live for many people. Due to factors such as tax rates, average home cost, home appreciation and other positive factors that affect the quality of life and cost of living in the City, the high rankings are valid.

However, even with such rave reviews, some people are beginning to cast doubt on the market’s long term viability due to the fact that the data is not holding up to expectations. For example, AOL Real Estate (March 31, 2011) has stated that Colorado Springs houses now reached 150,894 that have depreciated by 4.7% over the previous year. The most up to date reports have found that over 4,300 homes are up for sale in the City and the trend from May 2010 to now is only climbing upwards.

Colorado Spring’s 2011 real estate market has been seriously affected by the deficiency as it relates to a Federal New Homebuyers Tax Credit. Since the federal tax credit was extended until April 2010, it resulted in an influx of activity during the typical inactive months of January to March. The imminent result is an identified “double dip” in the 2011 real estate market. This of course will lead to a year by year comparison that is not truly tell-tale.

Even with this crisis happening, Colorado Springs, when compared to other parts of the country, is doing well. Forbes magazine recently named it number 6 out of 10 for “America’s Best Housing Markets for Investors”. So, if you are thinking about selling or investing, you can still have an air of optimistic expectation due to the positive indicator for long-term home prices.

This list put together by Forbes is based on market study by a real estate research firm. It was calculated on the community’s home prices during the economic crisis and it factored in issues such as employment growth and population. It was forecasted that the area’s prices would stay flat over the upcoming years but that home values would eventually rise due to a recent enlargement in population.

While real estate owners should feel pride about this ranking, the fact remains that it may or may not give life to home buying again. While nothing is assured, it must help somehow by having positive exposure in a nationally acclaimed magazine. Also, the Colorado Springs real estate market is influenced by other factors such as good schools, breathtaking surroundings and quality of life. These factors alone are great enough to make people want to live in the Springs.