• You can ask whatever you want, but they don't necessarily have to tell you the truth. Open Houses are a great way to see a house, not a great way to get info on it. Remember that in most states the real estate agent at an open house works for the seller. Usually you have the right to be represented by your own agent, and that's the person you should direct your questions to. It doesn't cost any more. Your agent has a reason to give you accurate information and help you find a good house.

• First of all, you need to talk to at least 3 mortgage companies BEFORE you start looking for houses to discuss rates and estimated payments. It's always better to have an idea of what you can afford. There are also online payment estimators. In my experience, banks will preapprove you for more than you can really afford once you add in insurance and taxes. While it's fun to go look at million dollar homes, it will do nothing but frustrate you if you can't get a loan for even a quarter million dollar home. Yes, an agent can contact a mortgage company for you. Banks and credit unions usually have lower fees and commissions, though.

• You should ask the sellers any and all questions that you may have regarding the foundation and any problems with the house. Ask about anything that concerns you but remember that unless you put it in writing as part of your offer the answer is not legally binding upon the seller. If the seller completes a seller's property condition report then you should have it written into the offer that the seller's property condition report survives the closing of the purchase & sale.

• Ask the seller: What do you like most about the property and what do you like least about the property? Sellers will almost always lie when responding to this question, and it will give you a feel that there are issues relating to the property that the seller is concealing. Sometimes the seller give you a totally honest answer and even tell you what he or she don't like with the property. TRY to listen carefully to the seller, because sellers like to talk a lot about their property and in the process disclose more information than their broker would like them to.

• Go into all closets and cabinets and look up at the sealing for fresh paint or brown spots, which is evidence of roof leaks. Flush toilets and turn on faucets which will reveal evidence of plumbing or septic issues etc.

• After going through two property buying experiences I discovered that it is pretty difficult to find Realtors and Mortgage Brokers that are truly looking out for your well being 100%. Problems, such as city liens and delinquent personal property tax (missed by a title search) that a Realtor should know and address or informed us about, we found out a month or close to a year after owning the property.

• An open house is more or less for the agent to gather leads. When you are shown a house and it is not YOUR agent be aware as with the above answer that they are not looking out for your best interest. It is always best to find a buyer agent. They will look out for your best interest. They will remember anything you say about how much you are preapproved for.

• DO NOT CALL every agent listed on each house you are interested in looking at. Real Estate agents work on commission only. It is a waste of your time and theirs to come out to show you a house and then you sign with another agent. Yes, the agents are paid after closing, and the check given to their broker for their cut. Many people in the general public don't realize this. Would you want to work for nothing?

• I highly recommend getting a buyer agent to show you any homes you are interested in. They may also help search for homes that fit your needs. The agent will ask you questions, talk with your mortgage company and get the seller's disclosure for you. If you are a first time home buyer, there are many advantages to having someone guide you through it. Once you have an agent and you want to go to an open house, take the opportunity to do it. Be sure you tell the agent holding the open house that you do have an agent and will be calling them if you like it.

• You should find yourself a buyers agent to solely represent your interests, get referrals to 2 or 3 lenders and arrange your loan. Then have your agent search for property that matches the properties in your price range. Alternatively, you can research homes on the Internet for your agent to arrange visits to. It's a good idea to always use your agent to communicate to the sellers agent or to the seller. Don't go to an open house and express your interests to the other agent, they will want you to use their services. And when one agent represents both the buyer and seller there is an obvious fiduciary conflict on who the agent should be more loyal to.

• Although one might be scared by the thought of a fiduciary conflict, the issues of conflict in representing both the seller and buyer on a price negotiation is worse. Also, if you do not have a buyer's agent giving you detailed advice on what has sold in the area in similar properties, you may overpay, not realizing the home is overpriced.

• In Massachusetts, and perhaps other states, the agent holding the open house is working for the seller. If you ask that person to help you with the process and write up the offer, that person is still working for the seller, and is only assisting you with it, but does not represent you. Only if you sign something saying that person is your buyer's agent does that person work for you. In Massachusetts, if they are working for both, they are a dual agent. If the person helping you is a seller's agent, he/she can tell the seller any information about you that you tell, including personal and financial info, and that can be to your disadvantage in negotiations, and that person's purpose is to get the most money out of you to give to the seller. If you already have a buyer's agent and you enter an open house, put your agent's name on the sign in sheet, and perhaps give the agent the card of your buyer's agent. If you wish to make an offer, the seller's agent can then cooperate with your buyer's agent. The commission percentage is decided when the seller lists the property. If the seller's agent also handles the offer, the seller's company gets the whole commission. It is not less because it is handled by one company. If there is a buyer agent, the commission, same amount, gets divided between the two companies.

• I would ask: when was the gas boiler last serviced and has it been regularly serviced tested, if there are trees overhanging the gardens, fences and gates, who is responsible for maintenance and pruning, look at the exterior gutters and fashia boards - when were these painted if at all, how old is the gas fired boiler, and consider if it may need replacing, if there have been replacement double glaze windows, are these still under guarantee.
• The first thing you should ask when you are going to buy your own house or property and also you are just a first time home buyer is about the safety of the place, then next ask if the house already undergone on home inspection, then you need to ask also about the possible calamities that the house already experienced and of course do not forget to ask about the contract and price whenever you are decided to get the place.
• If you are looking at a distressed home (repossessed or short sale) ask for an amount of repair money to be included to cover electrical, water heater, furnace, stove and roof deficiencies. Otherwise once the offer is accepted, you may be in a bind if your mortgage company will not give you a loan if the house has appraisal issues and the bank or FNMA will not repair them. Really, this is not for cosmetic issues, but rather house systems.

Usually closing cost will include origination fees, discount points, lenders fees, escrow fees, credit report cost, title insurance fees, title search fees, flood certificate, notary fees. Other closing costs include title insurance, courier fees, wire fees, and mortgage and deed taxes as well as recording costs.

Recurring Costs- Fees that will be charged on a regular basis after you've bought your home. These are not actual "closing costs"; even though you will actually be paying them at the time of closing.

1. Fire insurance
2. Flood insurance
3. Property taxes
4. Mutual or private mortgage insurance
5. Prepaid interest

You might want to think in the area of about $1800- this amount will be added into your mortgage loan amount and so it will not come from your pocket at time of signing & closing but don't forget you still will be asked to put up an initial 10 % of the of the asking price ( to the bank issuing the mortgage loan)

Closing costs refer to the expenses associated with buying property. These settlement costs are fees paid by purchasers upon receipt of their loan from their banks and generally range between 2-7% of the total loan value. While a substantial portion of these costs is paid on the day of closing, some of these costs are almost always paid on an earlier date.

The Real Estate Procedures Closing Act (RESPA) requires that lenders and mortgage brokers give buyers a GOOD FAITH ESTIMATE of all loan-related expenses due at closing. However, these estimates do not guarantee actual mortgage closing costs.

The following charges are typically included in the total closing cost for a given real estate transaction:

1.Closing Costs to Obtain a Loan

2.Closing Costs Paid in Advance

3.Escrow Account Payments

4.Miscellaneous Closing Costs

Financing will differ if you are purchasing the property as an investment or as a primary residence. Many of these properties will also have repairs that will need to be made in order to pass inspection and bank appraisal, so you will need to have a clause in your purchase agreement covering this eventuality. For instance, if it is a HUD house, you may find yourself in a position where you are unable to get a loan on the house if certain repairs are not done and HUD refuses to do them, let you pay for them, or do them yourself. It can be a sticky wicket.

It also depends on whether you are buying only as an investment or if you intend to occupy the house. For example you may not want to live in a neighborhood where most of the homes are rentals, but this may not matter if it is an investment.

As with any major purchase you need to do your homework because many of the laws that protect you in a conventional real estate transaction may not apply to a foreclosed property. Further many times if the person who owned the home was foreclosed on because of not being able to make their mortgage payments, there may be other debts such as property taxes that will need to be considered.

Remember that these people are "losing their home," and you may be the target of their disappointment. On your final walkthrough (or do so before closing), take pictures of the home, particularly light fixtures, fans and appliances. Our sellers made off with many of the lighting fixtures and parts of the house and we had no recourse.

Finally, if you do buy a foreclosed house, make sure that you have some savings to apply to repairs and replacements. These houses are a great deal pricewise, but there will be some sweat equity involved for the bargain.

• Know What You're Buying
• Do A Title Search
• Get Insurance
• Check Into The Equity
• Work With Your Agent

Yes, you can obtain a home equity loan or line of credit through the Bank of New York. They also offer mortgage loans on cooperatives.

It's true that Bank of New York offers home equity loans or lines of credit on a coop at a very competitive rate. But if you want an alternative, Chase does it as well.

Be prepared to do your homework with regards to the condition and pricing of the property. There may be reasons other than financial involved in the foreclosure.

Something many people don't ever consider is that foreclosures are often in serious disrepair.

I've seen homes where the residences just demolished the place - holes in walls, ripped up carpet and vinyl flooring, smashed porcelain in the bathrooms, broken windows. Don't get me wrong this is not too common. But every now and then some hothead decides that if he has to give up his house, he'll show the bank by 'getting even' with them.

More often you'll find neglect simply because the owners couldn't afford house payments so where were they going to get funds for basic repairs?

However...there are real gems out there if you are patient and persistent. A 200,000 home going for almost half it's appraised value...we missed out on one like this because 15 years ago it was more than we could afford even at that price. Gorgeous house, huge, in an affluent neighborhood. The owner spent so much on mortgage payments this huge home had almost no furnishings! Ahh, if only I'd known then...I'd have begged and borrowed the downpayment from friends and family. Just think of the sheer investment potential.

Then there are the government sales, and HUD homes. There used to be clauses that stipulated you had to reside in the home for a specified lenghth of time. On the up side, your financing often included the funds for improvements.

IMO, the benefits far outweigh the risks. Many people have no idea what it would take to get started investing in foreclosures. A lot don't have the time or the ability to make the improvements that will make a dump liveable or that can turn a nice house into a hefty profit for you.

My advice to anyone thinking about getting into a foreclosure: do your homework. Learn everything you can on the topic. Don't skimp on appraisers, inspectors, etc, or you may really regret it. Be careful and use common sense.

If you are not a 'handy' person, your cheap house may end up costing you more than you thought. On the other hand, if you have the time and skills... Our first house, though it wasn't a foreclosure, illustrates my point nicely. We put nothing down, purchased a home at the mid to low end of our budget (about 5K under appraisal), owned it six months while living there and making what was really minimal improvements: paint, wallpaper, new water heater, some inexpensive landscaping. Six months later we sold it for 20K more than we paid for it!The third house we bought in for 2 or 3 years and increased the value 18K. Number 2 was not bought for investment purposes, but we didn't lose money. And the one we are in now...been here 7 years. Last time we refinanced the appraisal value was 55K more than what we paid for it! But I think we'll stay here a while, I'm content with the house, neighborhood, schools.

Anyway, to answer your question: "Why doesn't everyone do it?" Not everyone knows how. Not everyone can. It's as simple as that.

At a foreclosure sale, the mortgage company makes the first bid and they bid what is owed on the loan. So to purchase a property at foreclosure sale you would have to bid over that amount.

As someone who worked for a mortgage company for many, many years, I can tell you that 95% of the time (and maybe more than that) after we resold the property we ended up with a loss (and usually a substantial one) because we were unable to sell the property for enough to cover the loan balance.

As a general rule, if the property is worth enough to payoff the loan, the mortgagor will sell it themselves, rather than having a foreclosure on their credit record.

With that said, I'm sure you can find 'deals' out there on foreclosed homes, but you would have to really look and do your research.

I would first like to say i specialize in foreclosures so hopefully i will give you some usefull information here.

First common misconception foreclosure laws are vastly different from state to state. You can find you local foreclures laws by looking at your state statutes.

In ga for instance we have no right of redemption,once it's sold at the courthouse steps the only thing that survives is property taxes owed,the IRS does not have a senior position on you but if there is a IRS tax lien on it they have 120 days from the foreclosure sell to reimburse what you have paid and claim the property for themselves,if they do not respond by then it deletes there claim on the property.

Another misconception PLEASE,PLEASE do not go to these foreclosure websites and pay them money for lists. Often times these lists are a month or 2 behind and the properties have not foreclosed,or are under contract or have already sold so don't waste your time and money. Another misconception is you will get rich quick,the late night programs that say i bought a house 120k for 30k and made a killing please give me 200. Did the person buy a house for that price sure but that was 1 out of 50 deals he did not all of them were that way but he wants to get you excited so you will buy his program.