Buying foreclosed properties is getting more popular and more profitable every day. There are dozens of foreclosed properties hitting the market every day. These properties can be both gold mines and land mines. In this article, we'll go over several simple tips to help ensure that your first foreclosure purchase is a successful one.

Opt for a Low-Repair Property for Your First Deal

We've all heard about people who make thousands of dollars buying fixer foreclosures and fixing them. The reality is, however, that doing such a deal requires a high degree of expertise.

Do you know how to fix a broken roof? Can you estimate how much it would cost to replace an entire shed? Can you estimate how much the repairs will cost and compare it to your selling price in the end?

Although you can make a lot of money doing fixers, you can also make a lot of money just by buying foreclosed properties, doing minor cosmetic repairs and selling them again. For your first foreclosure deal, look for houses that don't require much work so you can get some experience under your belt.

Research the Nearby Market

There are generally three reasons you'd buy a foreclosure: To rent out, to sell or to live in. If you're buying to repair and rent out or sell, then market research is absolutely essential.

If you're buying to rent, it's important to know what other properties in the nearby area are renting for. It's also important to know what the vacancy rates are. Based on these numbers, you can accurately predict what your cash-flow will be like.

If you're buying to sell, it's important to know what you can expect to sell your property for once your repairs are completed.

You should know these numbers before you make your purchase. Remember that with any real estate investment, the profit is made on the buy end, not the sell end. You must know how much your property is worth or how much you can rent it out for before you can make a profitable investment.

These tips will help you avoid some of the biggest pitfalls beginning investors tend to fall into with their first investments. Foreclosures can be a very lucrative business, but it also has its dangers.

There is a lot of free information available to you about buying, selling or investing in real estate. For complete information about the real estate market including current homes for sale, property values and more please visit the most complete website online dedicated to everything real estate at www.BuySaltLakeHomes.com. Please feel free to contact me with any of your real estate or mortgage related questions and I will be more than glad to answer your questions. Call me on my cell at 801-518-4599 or email me at kathyo@kathyohomes.com.

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