An Arizona Foreclosure: The Steps Involved In Locating One

By Terry Rice

Arizona, a state that benefited from the robust housing market of just a few years ago, is now one of the regions hit the hardest by a weak housing market and economy in the United States; looking for an Arizona foreclosure is not a hard task given this dynamic. In fact, one source listed two regions in Arizona, Phoenix and Scottsdale, in its top twenty five worst housing markets list of 2009. With this said, it is rather useful for people looking to purchase a foreclosed property in Arizona to know where they can find one. Useful information and property listings can be found from sources that list bank-owned properties, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Marshal Service, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) site.

To begin, someone looking to purchase a foreclosed property in Arizona can view thousands of them at no cost on foreclosure listing sites. These are in fact the most comprehensive means to find a foreclosed home, and an Internet search will produce millions of websites that may in fact lead a person to the home of his or dreams in the beautiful southwestern state of Arizona. It should be noted that the properties listed on these sites are not an asset to banks, who have to pay depreciation and maintenance costs for the foreclosures. They thus want to dispose of them as quickly as possible. Thus, given the incentive of the banks to quickly unload the properties, it is extremely important for someone looking to buy a foreclosed home in Arizona to check out the condition of the bank-owned properties to ensure that they will not be more trouble than they are worth in the future.

In addition to bank listings on foreclosure sites, foreclosed properties in Arizona can be found on the websites of the US Department of Housing (HUD), Home steps, and Fannie Mae, all government-affiliated organizations that list many foreclosed properties on a daily basis. It is helpful to look at each one of these sources in depth.

The US Department of Housing (HUD) lists what are known as HUD properties. It is of note that if someone wants to purchase a HUD property in Arizona, they should plan on living in it themselves and not offer up the house for rent. This is as HUD properties are initially only offered to owner-occupiers. They are eventually open to everyone only if it is becoming impossible to sell them.

Foreclosures Arizona can also be located on Homesteps, an additional top source of foreclosures in Arizona. This organization is also associated with the US government, as it is a part of the government-affiliated Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac is a money lender sponsored by the US government. Homesteps is effortless to use, and it lists foreclosures that can readily be found based on the buyer's specified attributes.

In addition to Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae is an another money lender that is sponsored by the US government. Like the Homesteps site, the Fannie Mae site has a user-friendly search engine that enables a person to specify the exact location in Arizona that he or she has an interest in moving to as well as other details like number of bedrooms and bathrooms, etc.

It would surprise many individuals to know that government agencies in addition to those which are mortgage-based also list many good foreclosures on their websites. In particular, the US Dept. Of Agriculture (USDA), the US Marshall Service, and the IRS or Internal Revenue Service all list foreclosed properties on a daily basis. For starters, the USDA not only establishes and maintains food, farming, trade, and agriculture policies. It also seizes farms, businesses, and other foreclosed properties and lists them for sale on its website.

The US government's Dept. Of Justice Asset Forfeiture Program is administered by the US Marshall Service. Properties which are captured by the FBI, the Dept. Of Homeland Security, and the US Attorney General's office are all listed on the US Marshall Service's site. These properties were seized by law enforcing government organizations in the effort to combat and control crime. In fact, the profits generated by the sales of these foreclosed properties are put towards crime fighting efforts.

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website lists properties that were seized due to unpaid taxes. Many of the homes on the website are offered for quick sale by auction. The IRS website is very detailed, and it contains many listings in Arizona.

Finding a foreclosed home in Arizona is not hard to do, as many information sources containing thousands of foreclosed property listings are available on the Internet. Top sources of finding foreclosures in Arizona and throughout the US include foreclosure list sites; government-sponsored sites such as Fannie Mae, Homesteps, and the United States Dept. Of Housing (HUD); the United States. Dept. Of Agriculture; and the US Marshall site. - 31862

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