Real estate listings auctions have become a routine feature for the residents of Seattle. Seattle is a coastal port city in King County in the US state of Washington. Its nicknames include the Emerald City and Gateway to Alaska; the latter because of its location just 150 km south of the Canada-US border. Seattle has also won the ranking as the most literate city in the nation from the US Census, with over half of its over-25 residents being graduates. Ravenna, Ballard, Maple Leaf, Lake City, Northgate and Columbia comprise its immediate neighborhood.
Real Estate: Attractions and Incentives
The current fascination of prospective buyers of homes with foreclosure auctions is inevitable; they view these as opportunities of acquiring stately houses at greatly discounted and hence, affordable prices. Further, government foreclosures inspire the citizens’ trust in the authenticity of documents, and the transparency and reliability of the auction proceedings. The buyers are also helped immensely by the easy availability of convenient home loans offered by various finance companies. Moreover, newspaper advertisements and online news constantly apprise them of the homes on offer, enabling a better selection and timely efforts, in their hunt for a new home.
The foreclosure auctions also hold tremendous interest for a category of people other than those who seek houses for residential purposes. These are investors who wish to make a killing by purchasing homes, holding onto them only till they have appreciated in value, and then reselling them at money-spinning bargains. This process, termed flipping, has gained much currency, fuelled by the boom in the real estate sector owing to the government foreclosures.
Foreclosure Auctions: Agent’s Important Role
Your selection of a property agent to guide you through the real estate listings auctions is an important step in acquiring your dream home. Before employing the services of an agent, you ought to check her certification received from the state’s department of real estate. There are numerous agents in the city, capitalizing on the foreclosures boom, and these include Mary Rectra, John Madrid and Loretta Larsan. The local agent will perform useful spade work for you, as well as guide you in making several key decisions, such as the final choice of site, determination of your maximum bid price for it, right up to the moment that you close the deal. A competent and trustworthy agent can make for a delightful ally in your quest for a new home, and guarantee you a money-spinning transaction.
The actual bidding process at the real estate listings auctions is likely to be a tense and taxing period for most bidders. Be sure to arrive timely at the site of the auctions. Have ample ready cash available for you to be able to make the down payment, were your bid to be accepted. Remain clear about your priorities and expectations. Guard against the impulse to quote above your intended price just to be able to clinch the deal in your favor. Adopt a level-headed and pragmatic approach rather than a hasty manner. The stakes involved are high, and so you should let caution prove the better part of valor.