Purchase foreclosure homes in South Carolina for much less than their market value. The key to a great foreclosure find is getting to it before anyone else does. You'll need to 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 SC foreclosure listings that list properties in or near foreclosure.

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

2. Look for South Carolina foreclosure listings at the county clerk's office before they list nationally. Most foreclosures that make the national lists are already picked over by real estate agents and investors.

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

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

Search online for South Carolina foreclosures

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 in which you are interested.

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 home foreclosure listings in South Carolina first

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 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 emails when new listings appear in your area of interest.

Find listings for bank or government-owned South Carolina real estate foreclosures

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. South Carolina 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 South Carolina at HMB, Inc.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Browse South Carolina foreclosure property listings in your area, looking specifically at the real estate brokers for each. Most lenders will use the same broker, and you may be able to access foreclosure information directly from these brokers if you contact them.
• •  When you find a foreclosure listing in which you are interested, 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, the condition of the exterior of the home and yard before you make an offer on a foreclosure home.