Can I purchase a foreclosed property?

When the mortgage borrower is unable or unwilling to pay their equated monthly instalments (EMIs) under the terms of the loan three times consecutively, the lender has a right to acquire that property and either sell or lease it out¹. Such foreclosed properties are auctioned off by the lenders and a ‘reserve price’ is set i.e., the minimum amount the lender will accept as a winning bid for the property during an auction. Foreclosed properties are generally expected to be auctioned off at rates lower than their true market values. However, there are often concerns about the quality of such properties as the defaulters are often financially weakened, which would mean that the due repairs and general maintenance of the property are not undertaken regularly. While this is not the standard, it is important to conduct the requisite due diligence about the location, encumbrances and conditions of such property before investing.

Auctions of foreclosed properties can take place through offline or online modes, depending upon the Bank (lender). For an offline auction, prospective buyers should submit their bids with the requisite documents to the Bank before the date of the auction; and for the online mode, the buyers are expected to submit the requisite documents along with the bids online on the day of the auction itself².

1. https://www.livemint.com/Money/eGRMvQiYkQJbdaz5RG22vK/You-can-buy-foreclosed-property-online.html[↩]
2. https://tealindia.in/insights/how-to-make-a-secure-foreclosed-property-purchase-in-thane-with-teal-check/[↩]