Alaska foreclosures are great options for buying a house at much less than market value. You need to find the best foreclosure listings in your area, the key being that you get to it before anyone else does. Spend some time doing your homework and checking the listings frequently if you want to find a property in a specific location or one that meets your criteria list.

Find even better deals with homes in pre-foreclosure status. Look for listings through county clerk's offices, local real estate agents, banks or on foreclosure listings in AK that list properties in or near foreclosure.

1. Sift through bank or government owned listings for deals you may not expect. While they tend to be the higher priced foreclosure listings, you may be able to find a property at a good price.

2. Don’t get too excited about a property until you’re able to actually see it.

3. Look for Alaska foreclosure listings at the courthouse before they list nationally.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Search online for foreclosure listings in Alaska

Find a good online foreclosure listing website by first looking at what the company offers. The better foreclosure listings will include property values, sales data, loan information, local property comparisons, mapping features, photographs and e-mail notification of future foreclosures in the area you are interested in.

I recommend: Search the free database of foreclosure listings from RealtyTrac, or sign up for a free 7-day trial membership that will give you access to in depth foreclosure information and daily email alerts. Get up-to-date foreclosure listings from Foreclosure Data including foreclosures, pre-foreclosures and government-owned HUD homes.

Get the Alaska foreclosure listing first

Find out about AK foreclosure listings before everyone else by keeping tabs on listings at your local courthouse. Look for auction listings of homes in foreclosure, or better yet, find listings for homes in pre-foreclosure. The earlier you find a property in the foreclosure process the better deal you'll get.

I recommend: Start by looking for foreclosure listings at the earliest source possible, the County Clerk's Office, then access pre-foreclosure listings online at Preforeclosurealerts.com. The website will send you email updates when new listings appear in your area of interest.

Find listings for bank or government-owned foreclosure properties in Alaska

Bank, government-owned and real estate owned (REO) foreclosures may not save you as much, but if you find the right listing, you can get a property in the ideal location for a lot less than one that isn't in foreclosure. Alaska listings that include all types of properties are the ideal place to compare foreclosures.

I recommend: Search through all types of foreclosures, including government-owned foreclosures listed at USAHUD.Com, or look through the US HUD official foreclosure listings for Alaska at HMB, Inc.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Most foreclosures that make the national lists are already picked over by real estate agents and investors. Try to view them at the County Clerk's office before they list nationally.
• •  When you find an Alaska foreclosures listing you like, take a drive and check out the neighborhood, keep your eyes and ears open for red flags like loud noises from neighboring highways or factories, pets running loose in the area, and the condition of the exterior of the home and yard.