Montana 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 national foreclosure listings that list properties in or near foreclosure.

1. Look for foreclosed properties in Montana at the courthouse before it hits the national list. Most foreclosures on national lists are already picked over by real estate agents and investors.

2. 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.

3. Take advantage of free trial offers from foreclosure websites. Try a site out during the trial period before paying to make sure it offers the right features.

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

Search online foreclosure property listings in Montana

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 property, Montana 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. Browse the Free Foreclosure Database for Montana foreclosure listings in your area.

Get Montana foreclosure properties before anyone else

Find out about 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 Montana house foreclosures 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 Montana

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. Montana 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 Montana at Michaelson, Connor & Boul, Inc.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Property owners who need to sell quickly because they're behind on their mortgage payments are more willing to settle for less.
• •  Most foreclosed homes in Montana that make the national foreclosure 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.