Japan offers the opportunity to buy foreclosed property through the prefectural court system. Japanese people are very risk-averse, so they tend not to trust the process even though its performed by the courts and the bubble is long since gone. Japanese property prices fell 9% per annum from 1990-2006, so they still have little confidence in the market. Westerners have been entering the market for a number of years. Its a big market, so still plenty of opportunities.
The process to buy is:
1. Research the market - identify where you want to buy, price expectancies, etc.
2. Identify the property you want, identify the branch of the court
3. Pay your 20% deposit to the govt by bank transfer
4. Submit your bid along with deposit transfer receipt
5. Wait a week for result
6. Pay the remaining 80% if you win, or the court reimburses your 20% deposit within 2 weeks.
7. Take possession of the property and change the locks
8. In some cases some prior owners still occupy the property, or leave possessions. Read the court documents and visit the property to avoid this.
Anyone can buy property in Japan. You can buy from real estate agents and pay 3% commission. The vendor pays 3% as well. The trick is to buy foreclosed property in Japan because its far cheaper than buying foreclosed property in other countries, including the USA. Many foreigners buy foreclosed properties in Japan, because the locals are not very commercially astute. They have no idea on how to manage money. They mostly leave it to housewives happy to earn 1% on their postal savings. Foreclosed properties can be bought at anywhere between 5-70% discount off market price depending on if you buy in central Tokyo or in rural depopulating areas. The prices range from $10,000 up. The properties are sold through the Japanese prefectural court system. You pay 20% deposit, then you have several months to pay the balance.
Are you aware that you can buy a house & lot in Japan for as little as $10,000. Surprising but true! Japan has a plethora of cheap properties subject to auction by the courts. Some are in rural areas subject to depopulation, but there are plenty of properties in the cities too. I bought a dormitory 1hr from Tokyo for just $US30,000. Below are listed some of the current opportunities to buy VERY CHEAP foreclosed properties in Japan. I bought foreclosed properties in Japan and now I reveal all. eg. The information you need to know, strategies to apply, where to get help, and the tools to useJapan Foreclosed Property 2008 - view the table of contents! Click here to download a copy of the table of contents for this report, available for just $US19.95.http://sheldonthinks.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2060236
Some foreclosed properties includes, but are not limited to houses, cars, electronics, and a lot more. This happens because payments are not made on said properties.
To start you will need to find an agent who deals in foreclosed properties, they will have a listings with details of all such properties on their books with all the relevant details of the properties. You will then need to look at the properties to see if you can find a suitable one to purchase.
One can find foreclosed homes in Pittsburgh on Zillow, which features Foreclosed Properties for Sale in Pittsburgh. Other resources for foreclosed homes include homes yahoo, foreclosures bank of america and bank foreclosure sales.
yes
You can contact the lender or lien holder who foreclosed on the property and make your offer to them.
loss migitation
Yes you can
There are many ways to do this as it is a buyers market. You can use a traditional realtor, look for foreclosed and short sales properties and contacting the seller directly if they are in difficulty with their property.
A lot of times because it has not been taken care of or lived in and kept up. Other reasons that are becoming even more prominent are that people can no longer afford to buy even inexpensive properties.
One may find information on buying foreclosures through Bankrate. They have a list of tips and some guides that will help people learn how to buy and flip foreclosed properties.