subject: Revealed: Buying Home Foreclosures Is Smart [print this page] Being careful about your investments is certainly important especially considering the tough economic situation. There are actually a lot of business venture that possess impressive profit potential but not all can give you the same satisfaction as buying home foreclosures. Considered to be a lucrative business, foreclosure investing has grown even more popular with the soaring number of homes entering some stage of foreclosure. The huge inventory of foreclosed homes for sale is actually driving selling prices way down. You should not be surprised at all if you happen to chance upon a repo home being sold at half of its current market value. Now, that is indeed cheap.So why do investors buy foreclosure homes aside from the fact that they are affordable? The answer is actually simple. These repo houses are actually ideal for home flipping. This means that you buy a property at a bargain price, fix it up and then sell or rent it. Either way, you get to enjoy profit.Where to StartThe very first thing that you must do when you have finally decided on buying home foreclosures is to make sure that your finances are in order. This is an important step since it will determine if you are ready to make such an important investment decision. Once you have made sure that you can afford to enter into the business of buying repossessed properties, you will need to find a reliable listings provider to help you locate the best foreclosures for sale.There are actually foreclosure listings that can be accessed online for more convenience. Foreclosed houses can even be searched by state, city or zip code. Look for offers of trial membership or subscription so you do not end up paying for a service that is not of good quality.Benefits of ListingsAside from helping you find really good deals on distressed properties, listings can also provide you with essential tips on buying home foreclosures, fresh news on the housing and mortgage industries and even tools that will assist you in computing mortgage rates.