We all know there are a lot of foreclosures out there today.  In fact, it seems that in some places, if you aren’t selling foreclosures, you’re not selling anything.  A question that comes up fairly often, though is, “How can I identify the homes that are in foreclosure or getting close?” 

If you have, or are thinking of establishing, a niche in foreclosures, here are a couple pieces of technology that will help.

Foreclosure.com

Foreclosure.com is a place where you can find information about foreclosures, pre-foreclosures, tax liens, FSBO and bankruptcy property.  It is a nation-wide service.  You can post a widget like the one below on your website to help your visitors determine if there are foreclosures in their area of interest.  You can also get a desktop version that provides more functionality.

Of course, the listings don’t give complete information, but you can establish an account at Foreclosure.com that gives you complete access to all property information.  The fee is $9.95/week after a trial period.  Keep in mind that your account will auto-renew after the trial, so make sure you cancel promptly if you decide not to keep the service. 

When a visitor on your site wants more information about a property they are prompted to join Foreclosure.com.  That isn’t the best alternative.  So, make sure it’s clear on your site that you can supply additional information to your visitors at no charge.

ForeclosureRadar.com

ForeclosureRadar.com offers a similar service, but they are only active in California right now, although they have plans to expand their coverage area.  Their fee is $70/month.  The nice thing about this service is that if a web visitor wants more information about a listing, they are prompted to complete a contact form and that information is emailed to you. 

As with anything else, you have to make an investment to take advantage of this foreclosure information, but it is an effective way of making yourself the local expert!