Bulk REO Investing Profit Strategies

With more foreclosures now than ever before, America's weak real estate market seems to set new dismal records each month. Yet as always, this challenge has given rise to a huge new opportunity for alert real estate investors.

This new opportunity - known as 'Bulk REO Investing' - is so huge it's captured attention from wealthy investors and private investment funds alike.

Consider with me, if you will, the fundamentals of the Bulk REO business.

Understanding of the foreclosure process is central to understanding Bulk REO investing.

Mortgage lenders faced with a non-paying home owner send a large volume of threats, warnings and documentation to the borrower who is late. The formal process of foreclosure begins at the lender's discretion. The 'pre-foreclosure' time starts with filing of foreclosure paperwork and concludes at public auction.

Foreclosure is completed when the property is put up for auction. Ownership of the property is returned to the lender if the property is not sold at auction. The property then receives the designation of being an 'REO' or the more formal name, 'Real Estate Owned'.

Lenders usually try to unload their REO properties at close to retail price by listing their REO's with a real estate broker. However, REO properties are now frequently sold for far less than their 'book value'. But the price of receiving such great pricing is the need to purchase multiple REO properties (a 'package') rather than individual properties.

The recession in the United States has yielded huge profits to real estate investors prepared to take advantage. REO packages are easiest to buy and sell with a well regarded source of financing in place. Some sources of funding for these transactions are: personal funds, hard money lenders, commercial lenders and non-conventional sources such as private investors and hedge funds

One of the biggest challenges for individual real estate investors is "how to open the door". In other words: How does an indivudal investor convince the appropriate personnel within banks and lending institutions that they are sufficiently funded to complete transactions of this size? The answer: Proof of Funds, also known as "Letters of Sufficiency".