How to Find Foreclosed Land

Land buyers can look for cheap deals by finding foreclosed land.

Home investors and renters with the dream of home ownership should explore the possibility of buying foreclosed land. When a land buyer defaults on a real estate loan, the bank may foreclose and sell the land and any homes on the foreclosed land. Land buyers can often find cheap deals on foreclosed land because the previous owner has already paid a portion of the land price. Potential buyers should learn how to find foreclosed land by using newspapers, government offices and foreclosure listings provided by private companies.

Things You'll Need

• Internet access
• Newspapers

Instructions

1. Contact the local county clerk about foreclosure notices. In some states, the foreclosing lender must give notice to the local county clerk or similar officer. The local office sometimes compiles foreclosure notices either online or at the clerk's office. For example, the Dallas County Clerk posts monthly land foreclosures on the website of Dallas County, Texas. Read the notices to find addresses of foreclosed land that is scheduled to be sold at public auction. Use the notices to determine the date of the foreclosure auctions.

2. Obtain and use newspapers to find foreclosure listings. Some states require the lender to post a foreclosure listing in a county newspaper. For example, Georgia lenders must publish a foreclosure notice in the county of the foreclosure land auction once a week for the four weeks before the auction. Visit the Newspapers online directory, pick a state and click on the individual state newspaper links to browse through online newspapers. You should generally look for the classified or public-notice section to find foreclosure listings. Use the listings to find the addresses and auction dates of foreclosed land in each county.

3. Open the "Search foreclosure listings" page on the EmailForeclosures website to find foreclosed property being sold on the open market. You can click a state on the map to find foreclosed houses and land in that state. Alternatively, you may use the drop-down menu. Hold down on your keyboard's "Ctrl" button to select multiple states.

4. Select additional options on the next page and click "Search." You can find pictures and addresses in the EmailForeclosures search results. Click on an address for foreclosure details. Click on "Click Here To View Contact Info" to fill out a form for contacting the selling agent.

5. Open the home page of the Free Foreclosure Database website. This site lists government and bank foreclosures. For example, you can find homes for sale by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Click on a state. View the results on the state page or click the city links to narrow your search. Look at the listings to get the foreclosure addresses and contact information. In the case of HUD properties, contact a local real estate agent authorized by HUD to place bids on HUD land.

Tips & Warnings

• Always run a title search before bidding on or offering to buy foreclosed land. The existence of tax liens or other encumbrances in the chain of title can cause legal problems after you buy a foreclosure.

References

• Dallas County, Texas: Dallas County Clerk Foreclosure Notices
• United States Foreclosure Laws: Georgia Foreclosure Law Summary
• Department of Housing and Urban Development: HUD Homes

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Newspapers: Directory of Online Newspapers