article thumbnail

How online auctions deliver on the promise of pre-foreclosure sales

Housing Wire

The great promise of short sales and other distressed pre-foreclosure sales as a foreclosure alternative is most fully realized in a competitive and transparent online auction marketplace, according to recent data from the Auction.com Market Validation Program (MVP) for pre-foreclosure sales. Pre-Foreclosure Potential.

Sales 342
article thumbnail

What Does ‘Under Contract’ Mean on a Home Listing?

HomeLight

Oriana Shea , a top-rated agent in California who has been helping homebuyers for 26 years, says that, depending on local multiple list service (MLS) rules and where the property is located, a listing might actually be tagged as “contingent” rather than under contract. What contingencies might be attached to ‘under contract’ listings?

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

How to Find Short Sale Homes: A Guide for Buyers

HomeLight

“People had done 100% financing on their homes,” says Jessica Wallace , a top-selling agent based in the Santa Cruz, California area, so they had zero equity when “the market dropped 10%.”. More recently, however, the hot market of 2021-2022 saw homeowners with mortgages increase the equity in their homes by 27.8%

article thumbnail

How To Buy and Sell a Home at the Same Time—in Today’s Haywire, High-Interest Rate Housing Market

Realtor.com

The good news for home sellers is that over the past year, demand for homes has driven prices through the roof, pushing home equity to record levels. “Two-thirds of homeowners right now are sitting on a sub-4% mortgage, and about a quarter are sitting on a sub-3% mortgage,” says Lisa Sturtevant , chief economist of the Bright MLS.

Marketing 119
article thumbnail

23 ways to find off-market, hidden inventory

Real Trends

Stop relying only on your MLS. Get more creative with your MLS searches. If your buyers keep losing out to multiple bids, search your MLS using the same criteria, but for homes that have been on the market for more than 60 days, more than 90 days, etc. Stagers are also a fantastic source of pre-listing leads.

article thumbnail

How to Buy a Foreclosure: Your Go-To Guide to Distressed Properties

HomeLight

You’re reading through a new MLS listing, and you believe you found your ideal home. The exact steps vary from state to state, but let’s take a general look : Pre-foreclosure: As the name implies, a pre-foreclosure isn’t in foreclosure yet, but it’s on the way there. Pre-foreclosure. Auction sale.

article thumbnail

20 Home Buying Tips for First- or Second-Time Buyers

HomeLight

If you are approved for up to $450,000, I recommend shopping for homes between $350,000 and $425,000,” says Wordelman. “In If your area is on the cusp of a second MLS system, make sure your agent prepares searches using both regions,” she says. “As I see so many offers come across my desk without pre-qualification letters,” he says. “A