Top 7 Free & Paid Legitimate Websites to Find Bank-Owned REO and Pre-Foreclosure Home Listings (2024 Reviews)

Real Estate Bees’ editorial team asked a number of industry-leading real estate agents and investors to share their expertise on the best legitimate websites to find foreclosure homes to help our readers make a more educated purchase decision when researching available solutions.

With the help of the experts, we identified the best free and paid foreclosure websites and evaluated them based on critical factors that are important for real estate agents and investors. Visiting retailers of the listed products by clicking links within our content may earn us commissions from your purchases, but we never receive any compensation for the inclusion of products and/or services in our consumer guides. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about our review and rating process.

— Kimberly Anderson, Senior Creative Editor at Real Estate Bees

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Real Estate Bees (REB) is an all-in-one platform made for real estate investors and other professionals to take their business to the next level.

It offers proprietary technology tools, stats, informative resources, and more. This includes pre-foreclosure and repossessed property leads for buyers, wholesalers, and agents.

All Real Estate Bees’ leads are generated through inbound marketing contrary to other companies that use data scraping, aggregation, or other outbound ways.

Homeowners with delinquent tax or mortgage payments throughout the United States use Real Estate Bees to find ethical and reputable companies that buy houses for cash fast. This means they are highly motivated.

By creating an account on Real Estate Bees, you can access these deals submitted by other real estate professionals, and it’s totally FREE!

Just sign up to DealAlert — an advanced, yet free, property matching engine — Real Estate Bees’ proprietary online tool.

Also, you can find distressed properties submitted by owners themselves, by buying motivated seller leads via our advanced Lead Marketplace.

Features

Lead Marketplace

By creating an account at Real Estate Bees, you are immediately provided with access to a massive inventory of qualified and motivated inbound leads through the most advanced Lead Marketplace in the real estate industry.

This tool allows residential and commercial real estate investors and wholesalers to buy inbound geo-targeted motivated seller leads in real time from a single, easy-to-use dashboard.

Pro Directory

Registered users take advantage of the industry’s largest online Real Estate Business Directory which provides 100% free leads!

By creating a comprehensive business profile, you get in front of a motivated and geo-targeted audience searching for reputable investors to sell a property to.

Property Marketplace Widget

Property Marketplace Widget is a powerful and completely free lead generation tool offered by Real Estate Bees exclusively to its users.

The cutting-edge technology online tool is designed for real estate investors and wholesalers to easily dispose of their flip or contracted properties by easily adding the lead generating off-market real estate marketplace to their websites via the embeddable widget!

Plans and Pricing

Getting deals submitted by real estate professionals is free.

The rates for paid leads aren’t disclosed on the website because Real Estate Bees leads are priced based on different parameters such as location, competition, provider, etc.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Free leads. You can get leads absolutely for free.

• Price and quality. Real Estate Bees offers highly motivated foreclosure leads generated via inbound channels at affordable rates.

• Precise geo-targeting capabilities. You can choose where you want to get leads from at a highly detailed level.

• Granular filtering ability. You can adjust filters to receive only properties of the types you are interested in.

• Cutting-edge technology. Being rather a new platform, Real Estate Bees uses the latest technology, and its interface is highly thought through.

• Customer support. It’s easy to get highly personalized help from knowledgeable customer support professionals.

• User-friendly refund policy. Clients can be reimbursed for bad leads.

• Additional resources. As a user of the platform, you get access to resources helping real estate professionals expand their online presence and establish themselves as go-to industry experts.

Cons

• New platform. The platform is relatively new, so its interface changes often as it evolves.

• Limited integrations. At this stage, the platform has limited integration with other online tools.

Integrations

• Zapier

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SEARCH FORECLOSURES IN YOUR AREA

Founded in 1999, Foreclosure.com is a leading provider of real estate foreclosure listings and related services.

As America’s largest provider of distressed properties for sale, it boasts a database of over 1.8 million foreclosure and pre-foreclosure listings across the United States, making it a top choice amongst the best foreclosure websites.

It also allows you to find tax-delinquent properties and bankruptcy real estate.

The platform stands out for its extensive database of distressed homes for sale, bolstered by partnerships with leading lenders and government agencies, as well as an extensive network of corporate sellers.

The platform also uses cutting-edge technology to check and ensure property data accuracy.

A state-of-the-art interface allows for effortless search and navigation based on various criteria, including property type and location.

Prompt email alerts about prime local deals add to the platform’s appeal. Foreclosure.com also features a mobile app that allows geo-targeted searches for foreclosure listings.

Features

Cheap Homes Search

This feature aids users in finding distressed properties priced below market value.

With an exhaustive nationwide database curating the best real estate deals, users can access lists of affordable homes for sale throughout America, many of which are priced under $100,000.

Via this feature, you can find cheap homes to flip such as foreclosed and repossessed homes, short sale houses, and so on.

City-Owned Property Search

Foreclosure.com also allows for a search for city-owned land or properties for sale at steeply discounted prices.

It makes available for users properties owned by city or municipalities which may include vacant lots, condemned buildings, and abandoned homes.

Email Alerts

The email alert feature allows you to receive notifications directly in your inbox about newly listed foreclosure properties that match your specified criteria.

By entering your zip code, full name, and email address, you can receive alerts about new foreclosure listings that match your preferences.

Rent-to-Own Property Search

The rent-to-own property search tool allows you to find rent-to-own properties near you.

With this feature, you can easily find rent-to-own homes where you can rent a property with the option of purchasing it later at an agreed-upon price.

Learn more about these and other features from our Foreclosure.com review.

Plans and Pricing

The website offers a free 7-day preview subscription that gives users full access to the Foreclosure.com database.

To continue enjoying access beyond the 7-day period, users pay only $39.80 per month, which breaks down to $9.95 per week.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Has a mobile app. The platform has a mobile app on the Apple and Google Play stores that helps you discover once-in-a-lifetime opportunities first. Users will get real-time access to exclusive private real estate inventory while on the go.

• Comprehensive database of property listings. Another accolade that makes it a top website for repossessed houses is its database of property listings. This includes foreclosure, pre-foreclosure, FSBO, and bank-owned homes across the United States. With over 1.2 million listings, updated daily, users get a chance to find a deal that fits their specifications.

• Detailed listing information. Foreclosure.com listings include detailed information such as property address, property type, foreclosure status, minimum bid, and estimated market value.

Cons

• Difficulty canceling subscriptions. Several users have complained about difficulties terminating their subscriptions. Some say they keep getting debited or renewed despite manually canceling their subscriptions.

• Inaccurate data and information. Several users have complained about the inaccuracies in the data or information they provide on certain properties. It is important to note that Foreclosure.com syndicates data from third-party sources. Foreclosure.com itself does not research or do due diligence on the information provided. Therefore, users must be proactive in conducting their own research when using this website for repossessed houses.

SEARCH FORECLOSURES IN YOUR AREA

Founded in 2007, Auction.com is a leading online marketplace for retailing residential bank-owned and foreclosure properties via online auctions and in-person events.

This platform is one of the best foreclosure auction sites, offering a supply of more than 13,000 properties: land for sale, single family homes, townhouses, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, condominiums, and more.

Auction.com shines out as an elite REO auction website due to its ability to yield comprehensive information for every property.

Users can obtain essential data inclusive of financial specifics, neighborhood sales comparisons, and specific property recommendations based on set preferences.

With a successful track record of selling 510,000 properties, Auction.com continues to be a big player in the distressed real estate property market.

Features

FCL Predict

The FCL Predict feature in Auction.com allows users to see a list of foreclosure properties that are most likely to go up for sale on the date of their scheduled auction.

FCL Predict uses the platform’s years of experience and data science to filter foreclosure properties and highlight the ones that are most likely to make it to auction.

Users can access the property details page of FCL Predict properties to learn about opening bids, estimated resale values, and auction dates.

Market Analysis

Auction.com plays its part as a top website to find and buy foreclosed homes by integrating comprehensive market analysis with its property details.

This feature offers robust data and financial insights to help various types of real estate investors make educated decisions.

A broad perspective on the real estate market is provided, including comparable properties, financial evaluation, and expected rental income from foreclosed properties.

Foreclosure Interact™

Launched on March 7, 2023, Foreclosure Interact™ is a new feature on the Auction.com app that helps buyers bid, win, and close successfully on properties that are up for auction.

Users can categorize properties by venue, use various view options to arrange their property search, and get real-time property status updates.

Property Search

As a prominent REO auction website, Auction.com empowers users to locate bank-owned and distressed properties awaiting auction.

Users can apply various filters such as location, property classification, price range, and housing specifics like the number of bedrooms and bathrooms.

They can expand their search radius, include adjacent results, or utilize the map to pinpoint specific neighborhoods.

Learn about these features in more detail from our Auction.com review.

Plans and Pricing

Creating a buyer’s account on Auction.com is free. However, if you win an auction, you’ll pay a buyer’s premium of $2,500 or 5% of the total purchase price, whichever is greater.

Agent commissions vary for bank-owned sales, while foreclosure properties have zero commissions. Auction.com doesn’t charge fees to sellers who list their property on the site.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• High volume of foreclosure listings. As one of the best real estate auction websites, Auction.com has a large number of foreclosure listings across multiple states and counties. This provides a wide array of options for potential buyers to choose from.

• User-friendly web interface. The site is easy to navigate and allows users to filter results by property type, location, auction type, and price range.

• Mobile app. Auction.com offers a mobile application, enhancing user accessibility and convenience.

Cons

• Poor customer service. Certain users have expressed dissatisfaction with Auction.com’s customer service, citing unprofessional behavior, at times, and unresponsiveness to buyer complaints.

• Seller-centric bidding process. Some customers have raised concerns about Auction.com’s bidding process, branding it as ‘shady’ and ‘seller-centric’. Properties are initially advertised for a minimum bid, only to be updated to a higher one later. The platform occasionally bids against buyers to meet a sellers’ reserve price, a practice known as automated bidding.

• Buyers must pay cash at closing. One of the disadvantages of using Auction.com is the requirement for buyers to pay the full purchase amount in cash at closing. This cash-only policy means potential buyers must settle the entire payment within a typical 30-day closing period.

Integrations

• Follow Up Boss
• DocuSign
• NetDirector
• Parsey
• Infusionsoft

Propwire is a cutting-edge real estate software platform designed for investors, agents, and brokers. It also helps real estate wholesalers find homes to wholesale.

The platform’s key strength is its delivery of real-time data from the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and off-market property specifics, providing its users access to an extensive database of 157 million property records.

This repository includes information on property ownership, transaction histories, and tax records. This is the best website to find foreclosures on the MLS.

Advanced filters on Propwire enable users to refine their property searches based on their specific needs. Additionally, the platform provides value-added services like comps, lead alerts, property records, and geo-search tools.

Features

Advanced Filters

Propwire’s advanced filtering feature allows users to narrow down property search results based on their preferences.

With 21 lead types, including absentee owners, zombie properties, and tired landlords, users can explore specific property categories.

They can also utilize various filters such as property filters, MLS filters, financial filters, and owner filters to find properties that meet their specific criteria.

Off-Market Property Data

This feature enables users to search for off-market properties and opportunities by entering any city, county, or zip code.

These include properties sold directly by owners, properties in foreclosure or pre-foreclosure, or those marketed by real estate wholesalers.

Users can filter off-market property data to find homes that precisely match their requirements.

Skip Tracing

Propwire’s real estate skip tracing service helps you locate property owners’ contact information, including phone numbers and email addresses.

With a single click, you can skip trace and obtain multiple phone numbers. You can also access email addresses to use in your real estate email marketing software and for building PPC audiences.

Propwire allows users to perform single real estate skip tracing for individuals or bulk skip traces for large lists.

Lead Alerts

Propwire’s lead alerts feature ensures that users stay informed when new properties matching their criteria become available.

Users receive notifications via email, SMS, or the app. Additionally, they can receive alerts when a home’s price drops, enabling them to make timely offers.

This feature is particularly useful for real estate investors, agents, and real estate brokerages who want to stay updated on new properties entering the market.

These and other features are more thoroughly described in our Propwire review.

Plans and Pricing

Searching through Propwire’s over 157 million listings is 100% free. However, the website charges 10 cents per successful skip trace.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Real-time MLS property data. Propwire offers access to lead data on 21 different property types, including foreclosures, pre-foreclosures, absentee owners, MLS withdrawn, and more. It also offers information on each property, including valuation data, tax records, and more.

• Comprehensive comps tool. Propwire offers a powerful comps tool to appraise the value of any property across the US. This tool provides access to comparables or recently sold homes in any given area, with filtering options like beds/baths, lot size, sold date, sold price, and more.

• 100% free. Propwire is free to use for real estate agents, buyers, investors and sellers.

Cons

• Data accuracy issues. Propwire offers free data, but the quality of this information varies. The owner information, in particular, may not be very accurate and can be outdated, as many reviewers have pointed out.

• New software. Propwire was launched in January 2023 by Jerry Norton. As such, there are very few first-hand reviews from users of the platform.

Hubzu, established in 2009, is a prominent e-commerce marketplace for residential real estate in the US.

The platform enables real estate agents and real estate investors to explore properties, receive detailed property information, and get alerts about auctions.

What makes Hubzu stand out in the list of REO marketplace websites is its groundbreaking online home auction marketing platform.

This enables real estate sellers and financial institutions to directly promote their inventory to buyers and investors, improving visibility and sales.

Hubzu also includes an investment property analysis software tool for rent estimation. It provides potential rent values to investors before purchasing.

Hubzu’s mobile app further allows users to search for unique properties and participate in online auctions from anywhere.

With over 212,000 homes sold via its transparent online sales and auction process, Hubzu operates across several locations, including the US., India, the Philippines, and Luxembourg.

Features

Hubzu’s Signature Seller™ Program

Hubzu’s Signature Seller™ program is a post-forbearance solution that allows homeowners to market their properties in an online auction format.

Homeowners can tap into Hubzu’s 2.5 million registered users and benefit from local, regional, and national marketing to sell their homes.

They can leverage the seller auction to bring more competition to their property, with bidders submitting their highest bids during the auction.

Hubzu’s signature seller auction also provides sellers with access to a dedicated account representative who guides them through the auction process.

Foreclosure Events

Arguably the best website to find foreclosures, Hubzu allows buyers to keep track of foreclosure auctions taking place in their target location.

These auctions typically take place at county courthouses, and are often set by state or local laws.

Users can search for foreclosure auctions across different states on the platform. They can also use filters to narrow down their results by state or date.

Non-Performing Loan Offers

Hubzu allows users to find and make offers on non-performing loans or delinquent first mortgages secured by vacant or occupied properties.

By filling out the form on the property page, you can make offers for these types of loans, work with lenders to close deals once they approve offers, and more.

Upon closing on a non-performing loan, you’ll work with a pre-assigned real estate law firm to get a receiver appointed and start or continue the foreclosure process.

Once the process is completed, you may opt to keep or sell the property.

Pre-Auction Listings

Launched on August 11, 2016, this feature gives users the opportunity to preview, monitor, and research properties before they appear at a live auction.

Users can explore properties of interest on the website and view the details page for each property before an auction begins.

They can also set automatic bidding amounts, receive email notification alerts when they are outbid, and make adjustments to their bid whenever necessary.

Plans and Pricing

Although there is no set pricing on the platform, Hubzu charges a technology fee added to the purchase price of some properties bought on the site.

They also charge a buyer’s premium ranging from $625 to 5 percent of the home’s value to the person who wins a bid. Users who close on a non-performing loan pay a program fee.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Has a mobile app. As one of the best foreclosure websites, Hubzu acknowledges the need for convenient and flexible property search options, which is provided in their mobile application. The app for real estate investors empowers users to search, bid, and buy properties, no matter where they are.

• Provides detailed information for investors. As one of the best house and land auction websites, Hubzu earns its reputation as an excellent website to find and buy foreclosed homes through its resourceful property details page. Alongside standard property details, Hubzu also provides information significant for investors such as rent estimates using comps within a one-mile radius, gross yield, monthly cash flow, net yield, and property taxes. This reliable foreclosure website worth paying for its membership helps investors check many boxes on their real estate investment due diligence checklist.

• 15-minute rule. A unique feature that further boosts Hubzu’s standing on the list of REO marketplace websites is its ’15-minute rule’ applied during auctions. This principle, designed to foster fairness and prevent ‘auction sniping’, extends the auction by 15-minute increments if there is ongoing bidding activity, and keeps doing so until 15 minutes pass without any auction activity.

Cons

• Reserve auctions. All Hubzu auctions are reserve auctions. In a reserve auction, the seller sets a reserve price, which is the minimum bid they are willing to accept for the property. If the highest bid does not meet or exceed the reserve price, the seller is not obligated to sell the property. They may reschedule the auction. For potential buyers, reserve auctions might be frustrating, as they might not always secure a property despite being the highest bidder.

• Fees. Users may find fees such as technology and buyer’s premium fees a disadvantage. Although not all properties have a buyer’s premium, some properties on Hubzu come with up to a 5% fee charged to the bid winner.

Created in 2003, BankOwnedProperties.org shares detailed information on real estate-owned (REO) properties.

With one of the largest databases of foreclosure listings from top-tier banks, mortgage entities, and HUD/Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, the platform serves as a comprehensive source of foreclosure information.

With a vast network of foreclosure real estate brokers across the nation, BankOwnedProperties.org receives exclusive property listings and crucial auction updates regularly.

Designed with a user-friendly interface, it simplifies property search, site navigation, and information access for users.

Additionally, the platform offers a wealth of other capabilities, such as providing specific property information and contact details.

Features

Pre-Foreclosure Information

Users can get information as it is filed about owners who have recently received a foreclosure notice through the platform’s worldwide network of courthouse scouts.

Then, before the property goes through the foreclosure or auction stages, they can get in touch with the owner FIRST and work out a deal.

Daily Foreclosure Auction Updates

BankOwnedProperties.org provides users with information and daily updates on foreclosures that are going to be sold at a court-ordered auction in states where this service is available.

Foreclosure, Short Sale, and Bank-Owned Homes Search

This feature allows users to search for properties by using different filters and criteria. Users can search for foreclosures, short sale homes, and real estate-owned properties by city, state, or zip code.

Plans and Pricing

BankOwnedProperties.org offers a 7-day trial for just $3.55. After the trial period, users pay a monthly membership fee of $39.55 or an annual fee of $99.55 to access all the information offered on the platform.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Large database of properties. BankOwnedProperties.org has a large database of bank-owned homes and short sales across the United States (currently over 2.4 million properties). Users can search for properties based on various criteria, such as location and price range.

• Low cost. You can try the platform for seven days for just $3.55, after which you pay just $39.55 monthly.

• Not an auction site. While the site offers information on auctions, properties are listed at estimated market prices, not auction values. This means you can contact the listing agent directly and not have to compete with other buyers.

Cons

• No mobile app. The website does not offer a mobile app. This is a drawback for users looking to access property search features on their mobile devices.

• Inaccurate or outdated data. Some users have reported that the platform’s data was not always accurate, and might be outdated.

• Outdated interface. The platform’s user interface is outdated and hard to navigate for newbies.

BankForeclosuresSale boasts a comprehensive database of over two million foreclosures, including bank foreclosures, VA homes, HUD homes, distressed properties, and commercial foreclosures.

As one of the best REO platforms, the site presents a key feature known as the Real Estate Neighborhood Profile.

This offers intricate details and statistics about regions and neighborhoods. The website ensures the constant relevance and freshness of its information by updating its listings daily and providing round-the-clock customer service.

The platform also offers satellite photos of listings, enabling users to view high-resolution satellite images of listed properties.

Other notable features include tools for analyzing comparable properties and demographics, advanced search capabilities, and filters that make property searches easy and fast.

Features

Real Estate Neighborhood Profiles

This feature delivers detailed information and statistics on neighborhoods and regions of interest to potential property buyers.

Users can access neighborhood-specific data such as crime rates, health indicators, voting patterns, religious demographics, and more.

Comps and Demographics

The Comparable Homes and Demographics Information feature allows users to compare properties and access demographic data related to the listed properties.

Users can add listings to their Favorite Properties list and get access to data on comparable homes (including number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage, etc.) and neighborhood demographics such as income, age, and educational attainment of residents.

Advanced Search and Filter

Designed to streamline the property search process, users can refine property search results by using filters such as the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, price, zip code, or city.

This feature ensures that users find listings tailored specifically to their requirements. With the platform’s integration with Google Earth, you can even view satellite photos of the property.

Calculators

Priding itself as a reliable source for real estate foreclosure listings, BankForeclosuresSale.com provides a suite of financial calculators to assist investors in making crucial decisions.

These calculators include a mortgage calculator, which displays the loan payoff timeline, and a rent vs. buy calculator.

Plans and Pricing

This website to look for foreclosure homes offers a 7-day trial membership for $3.95. Once your trial is over, you can upgrade to a monthly membership by paying a fee of $39.95/month or $99 per year.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Low-cost foreclosure property search tool. Its trial membership costs just $3.95, and full access to its real estate foreclosure listings database costs only $99 per year.

• Estimated savings. This feature compares the full market value of the property with the new asking price on a foreclosed property, calculating the difference in cost. By providing an estimated savings amount, users can quickly identify potential bargains within property listings.

Cons

• Outdated listings. Some of the listings are no longer active because they were sold months or years ago. The platform recycles outdated listings to present new opportunities. Also, some of the agent numbers listed are wrong or disconnected.

• Limited search and view. You can only view a few listings a day with a paid subscription, unlike other sites that offer unlimited searches.

The best website depends on the user’s needs. But the most popular websites among buyers are Foreclosure.com and Auction.com.

If you are a real estate wholesaler, Propwire may be the most convenient for you as it provides additional functionality to finding deals.

Real Estate Bees is also worth trying due to its low cost, innovative features, and user-friendly policy.

If you are are asking yourself if there is a free foreclosure listing site that hasn’t been mentioned above, here is a list of additional best free websites for foreclosed homes for sale:

• HUD Foreclosures
• Zillow (use the filters to have the site show you foreclosures only)

Here is also a list of bank REO websites where you can search for bank-owned properties listed directly by the lenders:

• Bank of America
• Wells Fargo
• Regions Bank
• M&T Bank

You can also visit smaller local bank websites to check if they have foreclosure listings. But the selection of bank-owned homes will be more limited.

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About the Author:

With over 20+ years of experience in real estate investment and renovation, Brian Robbins brings extensive knowledge and innovative solutions to the HouseCashin team. Over the years Brian has been involved in over 300 transactions of income producing properties across the US. Along with his passion for real estate, Brian brings with him a deep understanding of real estate risks and financing.