Lake Martin is like most real estate markets, I guess, in that every buyer loves foreclosures. I don’t blame them. The thought of a buying a waterfront home or lot that is a heck of a deal because it’s a foreclosure is enticing.

But is it always true? Are all good deals on Lake Martin necessarily foreclosures? And are all Lake Martin foreclosures good deals? No.

The other day I was on the phone with a buyer from Florida that signed up for my waterfront foreclosure list. He was interested in looking at just about anything in his price range: lots, condos, homes, whatever. One of the foreclosures he asked to see was a condo in the Crowne Pointe condo complex, which is located off of Highway 50, kind of by Chuck’s Marina, in the Blue Creek area of Lake Martin. When I saw the price they were asking for the foreclosed condo, I thought, whoa!

Here’s a Condo That’s Cheaper than a Foreclosure

This particular condo I found was a three bed, three bath unit in Crowne Pointe that is listed for $289,000. Disclosure: it is a foreclosure, and is not my listing.

However, I was quick to let him know that I have this condo listed in Crowne Pointe, also a three bed and three bath, for $265,000. If you are interested, please click here for more information. It’s an awesome condo with its own deeded boat slip, a gigantic view, and two owners’ pools for funzies.

Yes, you read that correctly. My (civilian owned, regular seller) condo is priced $24,000 less than the foreclosure. That’s almost a 10% price difference. Why on earth would the foreclosure be listed higher than a regular sale? Who knows. Every case is different. Often, the banks must try higher prices due to the foreclosure proceeding. Sometimes banks are too big to spend a lot of time studying the market. Anyway, how would you like to be the guy bragging that he got a good deal on a foreclosure in Crowne Pointe, only to realize you paid about $24,000 too much?

This leads me to a few rules of thumb to remember:

Lake Martin Foreclosure Rules Of Thumb

1. Just because it’s a foreclosure doesn’t automatically mean it’s the lowest priced option. See above for a glaring example.
2. Just because it’s a foreclosure, and even if you think it’s priced well, it doesn’t automatically mean it’s a good deal. You will still need to do your due diligence to see if it makes sense relative to the rest of the market on Lake Martin.
3. Just because it’s a foreclosure, doesn’t mean its legal woes are over. Lake Martin is located in Alabama, and here we have rights of rescission and other issues that could affect your purchase decision, to say nothing of possible property condition concerns.

If you’re interested in a waterfront Foreclosure on Lake Martin, great. Click here for my list. But be warned – getting a great deal isn’t as easy as going down the list like you were at Home Depot. I can help you learn about the market and help you focus your search so that you know a good buy when you see it. Don’t worry, the seller pays the commission, so it doesn’t cost you a dime to let me help you.

And if the Crowne Pointe condo I mentioned is still around, I would love to sell it to you!

Just contact us on this page, or at info at lakemartinvoice dot come, or John Coley at 334 221 5862 or John Christenberry at 334 398 0762.