How do you get free access to foreclosure listings?

Foreclosure listings are in high demand as people are always looking for how to gain access to listings. Homes on the foreclosure list are those about to be auctioned off from mortgages gone bad and these homes typically sell for well below their market value. Real estate investors, as well as people looking to buy new homes at bargain prices, are always interested in gaining access to foreclosure listings.

There are many foreclosure listing service providers that require you to become a member before you can access the listing in their databases. However, you can choose not to pay any of these providers and access foreclosure-free listings. Here are a couple of possible ways.

By regulation, when a house is added to the list of homes to sell, it must be publicly announced. The popular advertisement medium used is usually newspapers. By exploring some magazines and newspapers, you can get free access to foreclosure listings. Some real estate magazines and websites also publish foreclosure listings that you can access for free.

You can also freely access the listings through your local government or county clerk’s office. Since foreclosure listings are public information, the records are kept at the county clerk’s filing office in the county where the home is located. You would get free access to the listings by checking with the county clerk’s office where you want to access the foreclosure listings.

Perhaps the easiest way to get free access to listings is through the Internet. By searching online, you may get links to various websites with foreclosure listings. Using the Internet, you can search for listings in specific states, cities, and areas. Many people find it difficult to get free access to foreclosure listings, but by patient and proper searching, you will find many website resources that contain thousands of listings in their databases. For example, HUD’s website contains extensive listings that you can access for free.

Another way to get free access to listings, albeit temporarily, is to use foreclosure listing subscription websites. Most of these websites offer a free trial period, usually seven days, to allow you limited access to their database. You can use free trials to get free access to foreclosure listings or to decide whether to pay the subscription fee.