I was working with a client last week and like most current potential homebuyers she was attracted to the idea of buying a house by the news that home prices have become more affordable and that given the circumstances they will get a bigger "bang for their buck." Unfortunately the Realtor they were referred to didn't think they were being realistic. In the old days, the Realtor had the ability to control the information to the buyer an through exclusive access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) you needed their services at a far deeper level to be able to see what was on the market.

The advent of the information age and the internet has changed this considerably. The entire MLS system is now available on the internet. It doesn't give you all of the data points but you can do a lot of home shopping on line in the comfort of your home and if nothing else, this will help you double check data that you are being given or, allow you to better find what you are looking for. You can bring your information to the Realtor and they will be able to provide you greater detail about the properties in question.

Surprisingly, my client had no idea where to begin a search for a home on the internet. There are several sources and sites.

www.realtor.com www.trulia.com www.homes.com

These three will give you about all the data you will need. Trulia does a great job of helping you find data trends for an area, too. The value seeking shopper may use a few other sites that they may not have thought of. First, banks are trying to liquidate several homes via their own web sites. These are properties that have already been foreclosed, are owned by the bank and are often being liquidated at price well below market value. Here are a few samples of some large National Banks that are trying to sell the many properties they own via their web sites:

CHASE https://servicing.chase.com/reo/property/FeaturedProperties

Bank of America http://realestatecenter.bankofamerica.com/pages/map-search

US Bank http://www.usbank.com/cgi_w/cfm/personal/products_and_services/reoPropertiesReq.cfm

Wells Fargo http://reo.wellsfargo.com/WBREOHome.aspx

Most banks have REO (foreclosed) properties available and if it is a community or regional bank you may be able to find their properties via a google search.

Other sources to find homes are with the government entities of Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA/VA. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have special incentives to sell the homes on an owner occupied basis by giving you an opportunity to bid without competition from investors the first 15 days they market a property. They have an array of incentives that they will do and one of the best places to find this information in one place is through the web site www.hud.gov. The home page is a little confusing to navigate so I have provided a link that will allow you to find all properties for sale by all government entities including the IRS and the FDIC

. http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/topics/homes_for_sale

Realtors are a great resource and I always recommend working with one when you buy a house but sometimes we want to be able to peruse the available data and inventory without having to drive around, without having to appear to be high maintenance or just because we'd like to narrow the search on our own. Either way, this information should allow you to make sure that you are able to find the right house for you at the right price and of course I can assist you with financing in every one of these situations. Please link up to my web site

www.rglovermortgage.com

and I can offer you a rate lower than any bank or broker with the assurance that you are working with a sales professional with superior knowledge to the ins and outs of mortgage financing.