I specialize in residential homes and land for sale in Madison, Pierce and Stanton Counties, more specifically the City of Norfolk and its Surrounding Communities. I also deal in Farms, Commercial Property, Land and Investment Properties.
Click on the links to search for any MLS listings, apply for a mortgage, get professional advice or get information on the Norfolk area.
Whether you are interested in buying, selling, investing, or just want to stay updated on the Norfolk area real estate market, my web site has all the resources and tools you need to help prepare yourself for a great real estate experience here in Norfolk, Nebraska.
Whether you are a first time buyer or an experienced investor, you will find useful information about how to choose the "right" property, making an offer, negotiating, financing, mortgage rates, moving, and everything involved in making an informed real estate decision in today´s market.
Please feel free to browse through this site to explore the Norfolk Area Communities of Norfolk, Madison, Pierce, Battle Creek, Stanton, Plainview and Tilden. This comprehensive online tool offers direct access to the latest properties for sale in your area. Featuring extensive community information, consumer links, school information, free reports, answers to commonly asked real estate questions, and more, you´ll find everything about real estate within one easy source. You can also see the listings displayed on Google Maps.
If you currently own property and are thinking of placing it on the market, this site contains information about preparing your home for sale, selecting the right agent, pricing your home appropriately, marketing it effectively, going through the inspection processes, and receiving a timely market evaluation
REO-Foreclosure Information
Buying bank owned properties
There is a lot of interest in buying bank owned properties these days. A lot of information, some good and some bad, is floating around about the subject. Often the information offered is for sale, with the promise that you can make a lot of money with little effort once you know “the secret formula”. The fact is that there are no secrets, and to make money does require effort.
What’s an REO?
REO stands for “Real Estate Owned”. These are properties that have gone through foreclosure and are now owned by the bank or mortgage company. This is not the same as a property up for foreclosure auction. When buying a property during a foreclosure sale, you must pay at least the loan balance plus any interest and other fees accumulated during the foreclosure process. You must also be prepared to pay with cash in hand. And on top of all that, you’ll receive the property 100% “as is”. That could include existing liens and even current occupants that need to be evicted. A REO, by contrast, is a much “cleaner” and attractive transaction. The REO property did not find a buyer during foreclosure auction. The bank now owns it. The bank will see to the removal of tax liens, evict occupants if needed and generally prepare for the issuance of a title insurance policy to the buyer at closing. Do be aware that REO’s may be exempt from normal disclosure requirements. In California, for example, banks are exempt from giving a Transfer Disclosure Statement, a document that normally requires sellers to tell you about any defects they are aware of.
Is it a bargain?
It’s commonly assumed that any REO must be a bargain and an opportunity for easy money. This simply isn’t true. You have to be very careful about buying a REO if your intent is to make money off of it. While it’s true that the bank is typically anxious to sell it quickly, they are also strongly motivated to get as much as they can for it. When considering the value of a REO, you need to look closely at comparable sales in the neighborhood and be sure to take into account the time and cost of any repairs or remodeling needed to prepare the house for resale. The bargains with money making potential exist, and many people do very well buying foreclosures. But there are also many REO’s that are not good buys and not likely to turn a profit.
Ready to make an offer?
Typically the Bank's REO department will use a listing agent to get their REO properties listed on the local MLS. Before making your offer, you’ll want to contact either the listing agent or a cooperating Realtor and find out as much as you can about what they know about the condition of the property and what their process is for receiving offers. Since banks almost always sell REO properties “as is”, you’ll want to be sure and include an inspection contingency in your offer that gives you time to check for hidden damage and terminate the offer if you find it. As with making any offer on real estate, you’ll make your offer more attractive if you can include documentation of your ability to pay, such as a pre-approval letter from a lender. After you’ve made your offer, you can expect the bank to make a counter offer. Then it will be up to you to decide whether to accept their counter, or offer a counter to the counter offer. Realize, you’ll be dealing with a process that probably involves multiple people at the bank, and they don’t work evenings or weekends. It’s not unusual for the process of offers and counter offers to take days or even weeks.
SELLERS!
Sellers be sure to click the Sellers Information button to the left for answers to all your questions.
BUYERS!
Buyers be sure to click the Buyers Information button to the left for answers to all your questions.
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