Buying distressed real estate isn’t just for savvy investors — it’s also for smart homeowners.

If you’re in the market for a new home for your family, it just makes sense to shop smart. Why pay full price for a property when you can pay pennies on the dollar?

The secret lies in distressed real estate. The condition of these properties tends to depress the list price. If you can see past a bit of shabbiness to the home’s true hidden potential, you stand to earn a lot of instant equity.

The May 2011 edition of Foreclosure.com’s free educational newsletter, “Investment Exchange,” is now available, which focuses on helping you spot easy cosmetic fixes and other simple issues that are straightforward and inexpensive rehab projects.

Turn your hidden gem into a shining testament to your brilliant real estate investment decision!

Whether you plan to live in your new home, rent it out as an income property or sell it for top dollar, rehabbing distressed real estate is a fantastic option to realize your real estate goals at rock-bottom prices.

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

Those who fail to learn from history’s mistakes are doomed to repeat them.

Current and future homeowners would be wise to examine the causes of the real estate bust that has forced countless families into foreclosure and many more fighting to avoid it.

Unemployment, divorce, illness and other unforeseen events are hard to avoid and nearly impossible to predict. But there are several situations for which homeowners can prepare and control.

NASDAQ.com offers “3 Lessons to Learn from Foreclosure:”

Read the rest of this entry »

Catch them while you can.

That’s the opportunistic approach that many investors in major real estate markets such as Detroit, Mich., Las Vegas, Nevada, Miami, Fla., Phoenix, Ariz., and Tampa, Fla., are taking as home prices plunge at or below 2002 levels.

Foreclosed homes and other discounted distressed deals are being “snapped up” with a quickness, “forcing down” collective home prices and “thinning the supply of homes” by as much as 13 percent, according to BusinessWeek.com.

In fact, the report reveals that 35 percent of previously-owned homes purchased in March 2011 were done so with cold-hard cash, indicating that investors are hoping to buy low today and sell high someday in the future.

Mike Shannon, an agent who specializes in Detroit-area foreclosures, marvels at the recent surge in buyer activity:
Read the rest of this entry »

Wholesaling houses is similar to wholesaling any other type of product:

You agree to purchase a house at a discount, sell it at a marked-up price and pocket the profit.

Wholesaling real estate is ideal for beginners because the process isn’t as complex as some other distressed property transactions. Than Merrill turned to wholesaling after his career in the NFL was cut short.

Today, he’s the star of A&E’s “Flip This House” and one of the most successful real estate wholesalers in the country today.

This month’s edition of “Investment Exchange” is devoted to getting you started on this lucrative path that leads to making easy money as a distressed property investor. We share many tips and tricks, including how to get started with zero money down.

We’ll even walk you through your action plan step-by-step so that you have the confidence and knowledge you need to make it happen. Than even makes an appearance, offering you a fantastic opportunity to learn straight from him in this month’s Site Feature Spotlight.

To read this month’s free educational newsletter from Foreclosure.com, which is entitled “Wholesaling Houses,” CLICK HERE.

“… buyers – largely investors – are snapping up homes at bargain prices.”

– Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist, National Association of Realtors®

Cash-laden investors are cherry-picking discounted foreclosure, short sale and other distressed real estate deals at an increasing rate, according to the latest report from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR).

In fact, distressed properties accounted for 39 percent of homes sold nationwide in Feb. 2011, which is up two percent from last month and is five percent more than last year at this same time.

Investors accounted for 19 percent of all sales activity during this time and all cash sales reached a record 33 percent in Feb. 2011, too.

What’s it all mean?

It’s pretty simple: If you’re in the market for a home, you need to act fast because the best deals will be gone before you know it.

Cash is king … especially in a housing market like the one. And investors will continue to reign supreme for as long as the competition (that’s you) sits on the sidelines and watches opportunity pass by.

There are programs like Fannie Mae’s “First Look” that offer first-time homebuyers and local communities with opportunities to buy before properties go to market. It’s a clever safety net, but it doesn’t stop all the great deals from landing in the hands of investors.

Not even close.

A fantastic way to stay on top of the latest distressed real estate deals entering the market is to take advatage of our free foreclosure email alerts. When a new foreclosed home for sale in your area becomes available we notify you with an email that same day.

It’s an awesome resource.

Or, you can do what most investors and bargain hunters do and search our database each day for great discounts on real estate. It’s free for seven days! Click here.