No matter how good this current buyers’ market is, location is still king.

It has always been — and will continue to be — a key ingredient to any successful home purchase and/or investment.

“Neighborhood” is so much more than lines drawn on a map. It also means proximity to desirable amenities like parks, schools and shopping.

Indeed, where an area falls relative to other areas is important.

How far will your commute be? What types of neighborhoods border yours and do you want them as neighbors?

The April 2010 edition of Foreclosure.com’s free educational newsletter, “Investment Exchange,” is now available, which answers these important questions and details everything you need to know about “Scout the neighborhood.”

Don’t be lured in by the promising “fixer uppers” that distract you from unsavory locations. Make a list of what you want in a neighborhood and stick to it.

Check out “Scout the neighborhood” today to help you do just that.

To read this month’s free educational newsletter from Foreclosure.com CLICK HERE.

Looks cute, no? Don’t be fooled.

Some Chicago, Ill., residents are barricading themselves in their rooms and running scared down their hallways to avoid “orangutang-sized” raccoons that are seemingly moving in next door.

And in the curious case of Wilma Ward, breaking and entering:

“I looked down the hallway and I saw a set of eyes, too. They weren’t low. I realized it was a raccoon because my neighbor had seen one around…. The next morning, I went into the kitchen. I had the window up, but I have bars on my window. He or she had clawed the screen and squeezed through the bars in the kitchen. There were some corn curls in a bag on the counter. That was all over the floor [along with] some dry macaroni.”

Chicago Sun-Times reports that vacant/foreclosed buildings are to blame … especially if garbage is left unsealed and food is left behind.

And as the raccoons begin to settle in and get cozy in their new digs, they learn to overcome their fear of people, which is never really a good thing.

In response, the city’s Commission on Animal Care and Control is considering whether or not to restore a “now-abandoned policy” that sends animal control officers out to corral and trap the surly (apparently rabies-free) beasts.

Seems like a no brainer.

Las Vegas, Nevada, real estate broker Ken Lowman is taking his business to an entirely new level.

Literally.

Lowman, who has partnered with JetSuite Air, is offering “Sin City” buyers and investors with a “Luxury Home Foreclosure Private Jet Tour,” which will depart from Los Angeles, Calif., on April 17 and fly over three luxury (foreclosed) homes in Las Vegas.

Here’s his lofty pitch:

“I’m pleased to team up with JetSuite air to expose an out-of-town audience to Las Vegas to see these incredibly reduced-priced luxury homes. I’ve been telling all my potential buyers who are waiting in the wings the same message. If you have the wherewithal, now is the time to buy.”

If you think a luxurious birds-eye view might not be the best mode of inspection, then you’re probably on the right track. It appears to be more about the “experience” … even though several of the homes, which range from $4.65 million to $6.125 million, might be visible from outer space.

New York Daily News reports that if all goes well on the maiden voyage, Lowman plans to coordinate additional foreclosure jet tours from major cities such as San Diego, Calif., Phoenix, Ariz., and Salt Lake City, Utah, among others.

Interested passengers must show proof of funds and net worth “sufficient to purchase a luxury home.”

It appears that the foreclosure woes of Academy Award-winning actor, Nicolas Cage, just won’t go away.

The star of monster box office-smashing films such as “Leaving Las Vegas,” “Adaptation,” “The Rock” and “National Treasure,” among others,  recently lost his 11,817 sq. ft, six bedroom/nine bathroom home in Bel-Air, Calif., to his lender after it failed to sell at a public foreclosure auction.

Apparently, according to the Los Angeles Times, no one in attendance was interested in even playing with the $10.4 million starting big (Cage has previously had it for sale on the market for as much as $35 million).

Real estate agent Bret Parsons shares some insight into the reasons for the possible disinterest:

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