Foreclosure.com is giving back through its Hometown Hero Community Stimulus Program, saluting important community members nationwide with a special limited-time savings offer that will help them find their dream homes at prices they can afford.

Police officers, teachers, military personnel, nurses and everyone else who dedicates their lives and careers to helping others are now eligible to receive a FREE 7-Day Trial, as well as 25 percent savings on a monthly Foreclosure.com subscription — already among the lowest in the business — to search the best database of distressed real estate listings in the United States.

In addition to the limited-time offer, which expires on Dec. 1, 2009, along with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, Foreclosure.com will provide a local real estate agent or broker from its successful Community Expert Program to help these interested individuals find their dream homes at prices they can afford.

It’s a one-of-a-kind program that we at Foreclosure.com are very excited to introduce. Here’s a snip from our Vice President, James Houston, from a recent press release:

“We’re in the midst of an amazing buyers market, which has presented these individuals with great opportunities to live in the houses and communities they want rather than having to settle for less. So Foreclosure.com is doing its part to make that happen with this special program…. The prices are right. It’s only a matter of time before the market begins to rebound, mortgage rates start to climb and the government incentives expire. Foreclosure homes are also being gobbled up at a break-neck rate. The time to buy really is right now.”

If you are a “Hometown Hero” and are interested in taking advantage of this money-saving program from Foreclosure.com please visit www.foreclosure.com/hometownhero for eligibility requirements and to begin your home search today.

Boca Raton, Fla., April 7, 2009 — Foreclosure.com (www.foreclosure.com) today announced that its Web site traffic has increased more than 30 percent since this same time period last year because of the increased interest among prospective buyers in distressed real estate, including preforeclosure, foreclosure, short sale and other amazing deals.

Historically low home prices, as well as interest rates, and the recently-signed American Recovery and Reinvestment Act from the new administration on Capitol Hill that offers first-time homeowners a no-strings-attached $8,000 tax credit to put toward their principal residences, are all key factors in the recent surge in interest on the Web, according to Foreclosure.com Vice President, James Houston.

“Our servers are getting crushed around the clock,” said Houston. “We have noticed a significant increase in traffic over the last few months, which we attribute to several factors that have created a ‘perfect storm’-like situation.”

Foreclosure.com — already America’s largest and most trusted source for distressed real estate information — is among the top 20 online real estate destinations on the Web, placing twelfth for visits on a recent report from HitWise.com — the leading online competitive intelligence service – for the week ending on Feb. 28.

It’s perhaps no coincidence that the National Association of Realtors® issued a report just last month, revealing that foreclosure-related purchases comprised more than 40 percent of real estate sales nationwide.

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… is a good starting point to find foreclosed homes, according to the show’s financial contributor, Vera Gibbons, on this morning’s live broadcast:

“A lot of people may find themselves overwhelmed. Whats a good starting point? Web sites … Foreclosure.com…. There are really good values here [at a foreclosure auction]. You could save 30 percent, 40 percent. In some markets off up to 80 percent off the potential market value. Great, but here’s the thing: Very risky way to go here…. The safer way may be to go back to the bank. In the final stage it goes back to the bank — 50 of 100 properties are now going back to the banks. Over 1 million properties this year will be bank owned. So theres a lot of selection. So that means good prices. When you have a glut of inventory, the prices are good. Very good values here. This is actually the safest way to buy. Easiest way to buy. You can check the place out, do an inspection, finance traditionally with a traditional mortgage…. The bank-owned would be the way for the first-time buyer in particular if someones looking to buy a second home or vacation home.”

It sounds like she knows her stuff … really, really well.

To search Foreclosure.com today for the very best real estate deals in your area at absolutely no cost to you CLICK HERE. Our database features the very best preforeclosure, foreclosure, bank-owned and other distressed properties available anywhere.

Boca Raton, Fla. — Foreclosure.com (www.foreclosure.com) today announced that it has detected a 30 percent increase in sheriff/trustee sale cancellations when it compared March 2009 data to figures from exactly one year ago, signaling that banks and lenders are having success resolving loan situations with distressed borrowers in default.

It’s a positive sign that could mean more people are avoiding foreclosure and staying where they should be: In their homes.

“While not the smoking gun that the housing market is on the road to total recovery, it is good news nonetheless,” said Foreclosure.com Vice President James Houston. “Being in the midst of a foreclosure situation is a very difficult place to be. And the fewer homeowners who have to experience it the better it is for everyone.”

Foreclosure.com breaks down the foreclosure process into three simple steps: preforeclosures, sheriff/trustee sales and post foreclosures/REOs. Sheriff sales — also known as trustee sales in states such as California that primarily observe non-judicial foreclosure laws — are homes facing foreclosure that are scheduled to be put up for public auction.

These public auctions typically take place at county court houses or other public places such as libraries. It is often the last chance for a homeowner who has defaulted on his or her mortgage to cure the loan before it is either sold to a new buyer or repossessed by the bank/lender.

And the fact that sheriff sale cancellations are up means that distressed homeowners and their lenders are finding common ground.

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You’ve had the itch to make money flipping real estate for awhile now, but just haven’t had the resources to know how to scratch it.

That’s all about to change.

In our most recent edition of “Investment Exchange” — our free educational real estate newsletter — we dive into how you can build your own investment team, covering everything from where to find the best deals in your area to how to find the contractors and financing necessary to flip them fast for profits.

Real estate investing can be a very tricky endeavor for those looking to get their feet wet — there is a laundry list of items of which you need to be aware at every turn throughout the process. Therefore, we recommend that you surround yourself with people who have experience in certain areas, freeing you up to do what you do best … whatever that may be.

So how do you get started?

Find out in the “Creating Your Investment Team” edition of the Foreclosure.com March 2009 newsletter right here.

Remember that “Investment Exchange” is a FREE resource that Foreclosure.com provides its site visitors. Sign up to receive the educational real estate newsletter each month at no cost right here.