Foreclosures & Pre-foreclosures - Advantages and Disadvantages

By June McCann

I'm know you're in tune to the worries of recession and the real estate crisis going on in the US. This has caused a flooding of foreclosures that is surpassing previous highs. Although you still see older foreclosed homes in run down areas, what's different during this crisis is the quality of forclosed homes and neighborhoods they reside have drastically improved. Even some of the nice estates in wealthy neighborhoods can be found at government auctions for prices much lower than market value.

There are some great values out there but in order to take advantage of them you should first be aware of both the advantages and disadvantages of buying a foreclosed home at a government auction versus the conventional method using a realtor.

The advantages of buying a foreclosed or pre-foreclosed property are:

- The great prices available on foreclosed/pre-foreclosed homes is obviously the number one advantage.

- Many homes are in good condition for much less than their market value.

- Variety and selection is better then it has ever been.

- No realtors or agencies fees to pay (consulting with a real estate savvy person is recommended).

- Some insurances are optional. It could save you hundreds a month.

- Great investment opportunity (i.e. rent out or flip that house)

- Not as risky as stock investing, plus you will own something of physical worth.

Disadvantages:

- Borrowing money may be more difficult, unless you have strong credit.

- Need to be mindful of existing liens or taxes that have not been paid on the property.

The main caution is to properly check that the property is free and clear of any debt ahead of time. Also know in advance when the government auction expects payment for the house and have the loan details worked out with your bank. As with purchasing any house if you have enough cash handy (who does) that makes your profit potential much greater.

Government auctions are being held regularly across North America. Check the Internet to discover information on the upcoming auctions and the property listings at each auction. Many sites will display images of properties that are in pre-foreclosure (properties you can purchase before the auction) and that will be each particular auction. Buying a foreclosed home through a government auction can be a very rewarding experience, but make sure you do your research first. You may wish to just watch during your first visit to a government auction to gain experience and get an idea of the procedure used. - 23199

About the Author:

To locate an updated list of foreclosures/pre-foreclosures on the top government auction sites click government auctions review or Bank Foreclosures & Pre-foreclosures

Get Rid Of Your Misgivings With The Right Forex Trading Course

By Bart Icles

"Deciding to take up a good forex trading course starts with a desire to learn and a drive to become a great trader. Learning forex strategies takes dedication and a good teacher. Once you learn how to trade and do so successfully, however, your life will change and you will have options and financial resources you never had before." - Kirk and Jed Norwood

Business partners and father and son tandem Kirk and Jed Norwood have this mindset when they decided to develop a free Forex Trading Course which is specifically designed to teach those who are seriously thinking of venturing into forex trading and making it a steady means of financial resources especially during these trying times. Approximately 5 years in the making, this Free Online Forex Trading Course, which they tagged the "Jump Start Strategy," is strategically designed to, yes, jump start cash flow daily, ranging from 25 dollars to 300 dollars a day. This forex trading course is tailored specifically for Forex trading beginners, experienced Forex traders, and just about anybody else who wants to make their trading strategies a step higher than their usual strategies. The course is presented in an easy to understand video tutorial-like sessions.

Kirk and Jed Norwood are the brains behind Freedom Investment Group, Inc. which they established in June 2006. Their company specializes in foreign exchange market trading, tax management, and self governed investing. Just last year, they have launched their website known as ForexStrategySecrets.com, a site which offers free Forex tips and strategies, including the Jump Start Strategy.

The Forex trading course developed by the Norwood brothers includes strategies on setting up and using the trading platform like a pro (which they deem more important than anything else in the Forex market). It also includes and explains in detail which indicators are supposed to be used to maximize your Forex trading. It also a venue wherein the amount of money a trader should be trading is determined to make sure it's as risk free as possible. It also teaches traders when to get in and out of a trade and which currency pairs are best to follow. And best of all, the free Forex trading course also teaches traders how to use the different strategies that were formulated on any time frame.

This free online Forex Trading Course have helped and is still helping a lot of Forex traders develop a more strategic approach to the Forex market. It has also given them more sense of security since the course outlines how the risks can be overcome by common sense and vigilance. - 23199

About the Author:

Forex blogs are a powerful tool in your forex education. Learning with forex blogspot takes dedication and a good writer and teacher. But is well worth it, once you learn how to trade and do so successfully your life will change and you have options and financial resources you never had before.

The 4 Basic Things That A Beginner in Forex Trading Should Know

By Bart Icles

The foreign exchange (forex) market is undoubtedly one of the most liquid financial markets in the world with a daily volume of more than 3 million U.S. dollars. Because of this very liquid nature of the forex market, a lot of people from all walks of life are being enticed to try their luck in forex trading, hoping to double, triple, and - if really lucky - exponentially grow their money through it. For some people, it can be a very lucrative venture. For majority, though, if not done correctly and wisely, it can result to insurmountable losses.

Since forex trading is speculative in nature, that is, a lot of its activities are largely based on guided speculations, there is only a low percentage of market activity that represent companies' and governments' fundamental currency conversion needs. This is the reason why if you are intending to do forex trading, you yourself should know everything about it.

To avoid the losses, you should be able to know all that you need to know about forex trading. The best approach to this is to ask for an experienced forex trader's help in understanding the different areas that you need to know about the forex market, from the most basic down to the most complicated strategies that you can be able to employ when you finally venture out into forex trading yourself.

If you are a beginner in the forex trading world, here are some of the things that you definitely need to know about:

1. A pip (percentage in point) is the smallest price increment in a currency involved in the forex trading world. They are calculated per currency pair. For example, when you are trading US dollars/Swiss Francs with US dollars as the base currency, whenever it rises or falls, there will be a movement on pip values.

2. The major currencies being traded online are AUD, GBP, CHF, USD, JPY, EUR, and the CAD. Other currencies are considered minor currencies.

3. The first currency in the pair is called the base currency while the quote currency is the second currency pair. For example, in trading CAD/USD, CAD is the base currency while USD is the quote currency.

4. Transaction costs are often higher when trading cross currency. Cross currency is a pair that does not involve the USD. It requires more skills in knowledge when trading cross currency since it is more complicated.

These are basically the basics in forex trading. Of course, you should not be limiting your knowledge to these basics since the forex trading world is full of twists and turns that would require knowing different techniques and strategies. - 23199

About the Author:

Learning Forex starts with a desire to learn and a drive to become a great trader. A Forex Trading takes dedication and a good teacher. But once you learn how to trade and do so successfully your life will change and you have options and financial resources you never had before.

Real Estate Foreclosure Investing and How To Get Started

By Gary Z. Bryant

As many people succumb to the pressures of the recent economic downturn, the rate of homes in foreclosure is increasing dramatically. While this is terrible news for the person going through foreclosure proceedings, it can mean finding some excellent bargain investment properties for any wise investors watching the markets.

What Exactly are Foreclosures?

Banks begin foreclosure proceedings when a home owner falls behind on mortgage payments. When those payments are so far in arrears, the bank begins to take steps to recover the money is it owed by those home owners. If there is no possible way for the home owner to raise enough cash to cover the outstanding debts, then the bank has no other choice but to sell the house used as collateral security.

Why Invest in Foreclosed Properties?

When a bank is beginning foreclosure proceedings, they simply don't care how much the house is really valued at on the real estate market. They only want to recover the money they lent out to the home owner. This can mean that smart investors have an opportunity to purchase properties at prices far below their real market values.

Typically there are three possible opportunities for buying foreclosed homes. Each option has its advantages and disadvantages.

Finding Foreclosed Properties

The first option is to try and buy property during pre-foreclosure. Pre-foreclosed properties are homes that are still owned by the home owner. This means the bank hasn't taken possession as yet. The current owners are very motivated to sell the house to get themselves out of trouble, so you could easily pick up a great bargain.

Court Actions

The second opportunity during a court auction after the property is foreclosed. The disadvantage is pretty obvious. During an auction, depending on the potential value of the property, the price can skyrocket. The advantage is that the property is now free from all debts.

When Property Has Been Acquired By The Lender

The third option you have for buying homes in foreclosure is to wait until the property has been fully acquired by the bank. As bank's have no interest in investing in real estate, they'll happily negotiate a fair price with you that covers their costs. This can sometimes mean finding a bargain priced investment property that cost much less than the real market value.

Whichever option you choose, it's always vital that you inspect the property thoroughly and investigate the true extent of any debts outstanding against the home.

Once you're sure the numbers stack up the right way, you could easily be purchasing an investment property that is valued so much higher than the price you paid for it. Wise investors also understand that by keeping purchase costs low, they also have the opportunity to build an ongoing source of income as the rent can often exceed the costs associated with owning and maintaining the investment property.

Always be sure to spend some time researching into any potential foreclosed home you're considering buying and you'll soon find that there are opportunities to make great profits very quickly. - 23199

About the Author:

Not the right time to invest in real estate? This is wrong. Ask Gary Z. Bryant. Learn more about Real Estate Investing and Real Estate Foreclosure Investing In Las Vegas

Government Acquired Properties & Surpluses = Great Deals

By Clifford Carr

Seized properties and government surpluses are sold through government auctions to the public for low prices as determined by a bidding process. There are government auctions consistently held all across the United States and Canada. No matter where you live, there will likely be government auctions held near by.

The government surplus items sold at government auctions are items not required by the federal, state, and local government. These items can come from the government purchasing more than they needed, or technological equipment that has been updated.

Items found at government auctions can also come from businesses that have gone bankrupt. Many of these items found at government auctions can include furniture, computers, electronics, furniture, and miscellaneous equipment. Most people don't think of these types of items at a government auction, however, it's where you can get these types of used items the cheapest.

Government auctions include seized properties which are made up of bank foreclosures, bankrupt commercial businesses, properties owned by convicted criminals, etc. Police often seize property if the owner is sentenced for a crime or if the property was used for a crime. The government also seizes the homes of the owners who are unable to keep up with their mortgage payments.

Property can be declared abandoned for many reasons: death of the owner with no heir, the owner leaving as they can't afford it, zoning laws, etc. The government always tries to find the property owner before officially declaring the property abandoned.

You can find out where government auctions are going to be held in your area, as well as the listings that will be available, through the Internet. There are many government auction websites (some are great and some are scams) that charge a membership fee to provide listings and information regarding abandoned/seized properties, and surplus items.

Read government auction reviews on the web to find out where the best membership deals are. This will help prevent you from falling into the many scams that are on the web. - 23199

About the Author:

To find the top government auction sites check out government auctions review or more directly click Seized Property, Government Surplus, and Abandoned Property