Introduction

When most people think about foreclosure investing, they envision a process of buying a property at auction for much less than it’s worth, fixing it up (or not), and then immediately putting it back on the market for tens of thousands of dollars more than they paid for it. They think it’s a quick and easy way to earn big bucks in real estate.

Truth is, the process is far more complex and risky. Do you know, for example, that when you “buy a house” at a foreclosure sale, you may not actually be getting the house? You may end up paying $100,000 for a junior lien against a property (such as a construction lien) and have your position wiped out by the buyer of the senior lien (the first mortgage)! What you thought you’d be getting for your $100,000 investment is actually a worthless piece of paper. Or maybe you get the house and find out that the current residents are legally allowed to live there for a year or whenever the latest government mandate prohibiting foreclosure expires. You’re stuck paying the mortgage, insurance, and property taxes, and you’re awake all night worrying about what the current residents are doing in (and to) your property.

When it comes to foreclosure investing, what you don’t know can hurt you. I’ve seen it happen time and time again to very intelligent but ill-informed investors. They miss opportunities by not fully understanding the foreclosure process and get burned by not fully understanding what they’re buying or what they need to do after buying a property in foreclosure.

To capitalize on foreclosure opportunities while minimizing your risk, you need the guidance of an experienced professional. In Foreclosure Investing For Dummies, I serve as your guide, providing the information and direction necessary for your success.

About This Book

Foreclosure Investing For Dummies isn’t a quick-cash, no-risk, no-work guide to building wealth through foreclosure investing. People who want that sort of thing can stay up late at night and watch real estate investment “gurus” peddle their products, or they can attend any of the readily available “free” foreclosure investment seminars that make the rounds.

This book guides you in the methods of making money the old-fashioned way: earning it fairly. I’ve been investing in foreclosures and assisting distressed homeowners for more than 30 years. I’ve achieved great success and experienced my fair share of failures. I’ve had homeowners provide glowing testimonials of how much I’ve helped them, been accused of trying to steal homes from “little old ladies,” and assisted homeowners when con artists have tried to steal their homes. Sad to say, even lost property in foreclosure myself.

In Foreclosure Investing For Dummies, I show you how to invest in foreclosures the right way. I steer you clear of the many pitfalls inherent in foreclosure investing. I show you how to properly and thoroughly research properties so you know what you’re getting into before you buy or bid on a property. I step you through the process of finding the best opportunities with the maximum potential profit and lowest risk. I lead you through the process of buying foreclosures before auction, bidding for them at auction, and purchasing them after the auction from the lenders that have foreclosed on them. I present various ways to cash out and realize your profit after the sale. And I show you how to do all this without misleading and cheating distressed homeowners.

I wrote this book so you could approach it in either of two ways: You can flip to any chapter for a quick, stand-alone mini-course on a specific foreclosure-investing topic, or you can read it from cover to cover. At the end of the book is an appendix of the foreclosure rules and regulations across the 50 states. Although I encourage you to research the foreclosure process in your local area carefully, you can flip to the appendix to get up to speed on the basics.

Foolish Assumptions

In some books that cover advanced topics, authors must assume that their readers already understand some basic topics or have acquired beginning-level skills. If this book were about molecular biology, for example, you’d have to know what a molecule is.

The biggest foolish assumption I make in this book is that you own the home you live in. You’ve been involved in at least one closing and signed the documents that the closing agent passed around. When you own a home, you instantly become a real estate investor. You begin to grasp the value of real estate as an investment. You gain firsthand knowledge of the benefits of owning a home, understand the challenges of maintaining it, and take on the responsibility of making mortgage payments. You can empathize with homeowners who are about to lose their homes in foreclosure.

If you’re not a homeowner, sell this book, and put the proceeds toward a down payment on a house. If you live in the Detroit metropolitan area, contact me, and I’ll find the perfect house for you and your family. I’ll even give you credit on the purchase of the book. Or stop by the office, and I’ll personally sign your copy. After you’ve purchased a house and have lived in it for a few months, pick up the book. I’ll be waiting for you.

Other foolish assumptions I make include, but aren’t limited to, the following:

• You’re committed to success. Investing in foreclosures is hard work and requires sticktoitism (pronounced stik-to-it-izm) — a word I’ve been using since the 1970s to describe the determination and dogged perseverance required to build wealth in real estate. I could use stick-to-itiveness, which happens to appear in the dictionary, but I like my word better.
• You can talk to people. You don’t need to be a social butterfly (although that helps), but you do need to be able to network, ask questions, and haggle with people. If you don’t have some basic people skills, you should team up with someone who does. Effective word-of-mouth networking leads to the best opportunities, and in almost every situation, you’ll need to talk with homeowners, county clerks, sheriffs, lenders, and a host of others involved in the foreclosure process.
• You’re dedicated to developing mutually beneficial solutions. I hate to see “investors” ripping off homeowners, and I’d really hate to see anyone use the information in this book to take advantage of distressed homeowners. You can earn plenty of money investing in foreclosures by acting with integrity and presenting reasonable solutions that meet the needs of all parties involved.
• You’re able to treat foreclosure investing as business. Understand that you’re not the cause of the homeowners’ distress. More than likely, you can’t solve their problems. Very likely, many others have tried to help the homeowners solve the root cause of the problem (and failed) before you came along. What you can offer are truth and useful information. You must be empathetic without jumping in to save a drowning family that may drag you under both financially and emotionally.

Keep in mind that a real problem is something that money can’t fix, such as an untreatable illness or a death in the family. Most families, if they choose to, can move on after experiencing a financial calamity. Foreclosure isn’t the end of the world, although at the time, homeowners may perceive it to be.

Icons Used in This Book

Throughout this book, I’ve sprinkled icons in the margins to cue you in on different types of information that call out for your attention. Here are the icons you’ll see and a brief description of each.

I want you to remember everything you read in this book, but if you can’t quite do that, remember the important points I flag with this icon.

Tips provide insider insight from behind the scenes. When you’re looking for a better, faster, cheaper way to do something, check out these tips.

“Whoa!” This icon appears when you need to be extra-vigilant or seek professional help before moving forward.

Beyond the Book

In addition to the priceless information and guidance you’ll find in the nearly 400 pages of this book, you can access the Foreclosure Investing For Dummies Cheat Sheet online. Just go to www.dummies.com, and enter “Foreclosure Investing For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the search box. The Cheat Sheet includes a complete checklist of everything you should have before you bid or make an offer on a foreclosure property, step-by-step instructions for buying properties in pre-foreclosure, step-by-step instructions for buying properties at foreclosure auctions, a list of foreclosure auction websites, and a list of the ten most common mistakes to avoid when investing in foreclosure properties.

Where to Go from Here

Foreclosure Investing For Dummies is constructed in a way that’s similar to the foreclosure process itself. It presents you with opportunities and with information to capitalize on those opportunities in three key entry points in the foreclosure process: pre-foreclosure, foreclosure, and post-foreclosure.

For a quick course on foreclosure investing, check out Chapter 1, which provides an overview of the foreclosure process along...