One of the biggest trends in real estate investing today is flipping. Flipping real estate involves the process of buying property significantly under value and then reselling it for profit. There are many types of properties that you can buy that are priced under value including fixers, must sells, and estates. While all of these types of purchases can reap great profits, the most profit can be gained from the government foreclosure home.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of foreclosures that occur each year in the United States alone. In most cases, these properties can be purchased for 30, 40 or even 50 percent under value. This fact alone is what makes the government foreclosure home such a great investment opportunity.

Finding a government foreclosure home for an investment opportunity is not that difficult to do. All it takes is a little time and effort and a good bit of research. To find out which homes are being foreclosed upon in your area, all you need to do is check with your local courthouse for the latest foreclosure listings. Once you have these you can drive by the properties to narrow down your search to a few ideal properties.

There are two stages during which you can buy a government foreclosure home: The pre-foreclosure stage and the foreclosed stage. During the pre-foreclosure stage, the property is still in the control of the homeowner but foreclosure proceedings have begun. Once a home has been foreclosed upon, the homeowner is taken out of the equation and no longer has any say over what is done with the property.

While you can buy a government foreclosure home well under value at either of these stages, foreclosed homes often cost less than those that are merely facing foreclosure because the homeowner will try to make enough money from the sale to pay off the mortgage. Once a home is foreclosed upon, however, homes are often sold for less than the amount currently owed.

A government foreclosure home that has been foreclosed upon can be purchased directly from the financial institution that holds the mortgage or at a real estate auction. While the best deals can be found at auction, buying directly from the mortgage company has its advantages. Buying from the mortgage company will allow you to pursue more financing options than would be available at auction. In most cases, a large down payment is required from buyers who place the winning bid at auction with the remaining balance being due shortly after.

Another disadvantage of buying a foreclosed home at auction is that most purchases are made sight unseen meaning that it is unlikely that you will have an opportunity to inspect the property or even set foot inside the house before making an offer. Regardless of the disadvantages, though, buying a government foreclosure home at auction is the best way to find a home priced significantly under value. And when you are buying investment property, price is a huge consideration.