OK, you think you have the foreclosure process figured out...

• You've decided that buying foreclosures at the courthouse steps is right for you.
• You've scoured the local papers, the courthouse, and the substitute trustee websites.
• You've narrowed your listings down to a select few.
• You've looked at those properties.
• You've done your own comps to determine their worth.
• You've even looked up judgements against the current owners to see what you might inherit with a winning bid.

But what about the title???

How do you know the property you're buying has a clear title?  The answer is this... unless you know how to do a title search on your own, you have to hire a lawyer.  The question is, do you really want to hire a lawyer to do a title search on a property that you're only considering purchasing?  The answer is, of course not! 

My advice is this, find an abstractor in your area and pick their brain.  An abstractor is a person whom the lawyers hire to conduct the actual title searches for them.  The lawyer puts their stamp of approval on the title search to give it credibility, but it's the work of the trusted abstractor that the law firm relies upon for the heavy detail work.  If you can befriend your local abstractor, you might just learn how to do that title search that will either save or make you thousands of dollars in the end.

Good luck bidders!

"ShakeMyHand"