Indianapolis Area Real Estate Blog

Winning the Bid on a HUD Home

In Pursuit of a Winning Bid

For the last eight months I have been working with a first time home buyer in the $80,000 price range.  Based on her criteria, the area she wanted to live and price of the average home in the area, we knew it wouldn't be an easy search.

Not difficult, just not easy! Still, we were able to find homes she liked and made a few offers. One HUD owned home we lost by about $250.00. A couple of bank owned homes needed too much work; a few short sale homes we never received an answer on. Another lost HUD - this time by a lot more. Finally, last week we received confirmation our bid was accepted!

Not All Offers are Winners

The same week another offer made on a HUD home for a  different client was rejected. Just so you know - I don't like rejection! Why the difference? As I stated last week, offers on HUD homes are becoming more popular with first time home buyers, with the asking price being overbid. Such was the case for my clients. The client I have been working with decided she could pay her own closing costs. By doing so, she didn't have to overbid and her offer netted HUD the highest dollar amount. My other clients needed their closing costs paid and couldn't overbid. Whether you overbid and have your closing costs paid or pay your own closing costs, it doesn't matter.

What does matter is what  HUD nets - their bottom line. The second offer wasn't enough. As a matter of fact, the winning bid was $7000.00 over the list price and netted the bank what they were originally asking. One client will be closing next month while the pursuit is still on for my other clients!

Copyright © 2009 by Paula Henry, All Rights Reserved. *Winning the Bid on a HUD Home*

Discussion

#1 By Ashlee at 10/30/2009 7:24 PM

Gotta love HUD! It has taken as many as 3 months to receive a confirmation from HUD before. By that time we have already found another house!

#2 By Kim at 11/2/2009 9:50 AM

I wonder why it takes so long to receive confirmation if your offer has been accepted. You would think they would be faster to unload the home!

#3 By Joshua Dorkin @ BiggerPockets at 11/2/2009 -1:45 PM

In the current housing environment, your bids on properties need to be as clean as possible with as few contingencies as possibly, particularly when you're talking about HUD properties and bank REOs. Congrats on the accepted offer, Paula.

#4 By Printable Eviction Notice at 11/3/2009 -1:20 PM

Loosing the bid by $250 must have been a heart breaker. Good luck with your other clients.

#5 By Paula at 11/22/2009 7:01 AM

Ashlee and Kim - The HUD process here in Indianapolis is very quick. Once we submit an offer, we receive verification the next day whether HUD accepted our offer or not. The last one I closed took exactly 22 days from offer to close.

#6 By Paula at 11/22/2009 7:02 AM

Joshua - You are so right! Contingencies muddy the proverbial waters of the real estate transaction.

Post a Comment

Blog Archives

Posts By Category

All Categories Buyer Resources (59) Community News (37) Home and Family (36) Home Maintenance Tips (14) Homeowners (34) Homes for Sale | Listings (25) Indianapolis Things to Do (62) Indy Photo Spot (5) Lifestyle Communities (4) Local Indy (42) Market Statistics (87) Mortgage News and Info (49) Parks and Recreation (12) Random Thoughts (19) Real Estate News (73) Real Estate Terms (15) Relocation Tips (8) Seller Information (41) Upcoming Events (3)

Posts By Month

Blog Roll

Homes in Hendricks County
Grab Our RSS Feed
New Listing Alerts

Be one of the first to know when new listings matching your criteria hit the market.

Get New Listings
Relocation Guide

Find your next home and learn about neighborhoods, current market statistics, and local schools.

Free Relocation Guide
Free Market Analysis

Our free service provides you with a detailed estimate of your home's current market value.

Get a Free Market Analysis