If you are an active investor, you probably already know the many exciting avenues open to earn revenue and profit that real estate offers. However, unless you have been considering the field of foreclosure properties as well, you are probably not getting the most returns for your investment. Everyone has heard the word foreclosure recently and it is very much part of the estate news these days. Still, you may not know exactly what it is.

A foreclosure property is real estate that has been repossessed, mainly because the owner was unable to meet mortgage payment commitments. Once the bank or the lender has legally repossessed the property, through the legal process of foreclosure, the lender or the mortgage company then sells the property to investors and property buyers. There are several sellers you can approach for a foreclosure.

First of all, look at the government sources. When a home owner has run into default on a government insured home, the government pays the lender a sum equal to the money lost through the loan and the lender hands over the home to the government agency in return. The government then sells this property in order to recoup the money paid to the lender. The foreclosure properties that you can buy from the government include classifications like HUD foreclosure, VA foreclosure and Fannie Mae foreclosure.

Banks and other lenders are also a source of foreclosure properties. When a home loan is not the government insured kind, the lender is fully responsible for recouping any losses from a bad loan. So, when the owner defaults on mortgage payments, the lender repossesses and tries to sell the property, either personally or through some third party.

Sometimes, the homeowners themselves can be a source of the property. When an owner sees that a bank foreclosure is imminent, they have the last option of selling the property directly, as a pre foreclosure and then paying off the lender from the proceeds. This can save their credit rating from being destroyed and even give them some extra cash.

Buying a pre foreclosure property can be risky, but it can give an investor a great deal and a quick profit in real estate. Whichever way you choose to buy a foreclosure, you can expect benefits. As a general rule, a foreclosure property sells below its market value, so that you can buy it inexpensively. Since a foreclosure may have been on the sellers hands for a while and the seller may want to get rid of it fast, you can save 5% to 50% when you buy a foreclosure. This means that you create instant equity, which you can use right away. The low price also enables you to offer a good deal to your buyers and renters. Also, the low price and instant equity translates to affordable financing, so you save money in more ways than one, boosting your bottom line.

Most foreclosure properties are unadvertised, so where do you start looking? The best way is to subscribe to quality foreclosure listings. Good listings offer frequent updates on their lists of currently available foreclosures. Online listings make it quite easy to find a foreclosure, wherever you may live. Some sites also allow you to search their database for free and even send you email alerts and newsletters.