The attraction to quick profits in the foreclosure market bites almost everyone occasionally. Free foreclosure listings are available to anyone who asks. Perhaps you noticed free public computer access is available at the courthouse. Real estate agents, bankers and lenders of every stripe give them away freely. These lists seldom offer more than a cursory glance at potential. Professional bidders avoid these lists to save time and money.

Free foreclosure listings are also accessible online. The best research firms in the United States publish data via online databases. These lists receive daily or nightly updates through direct access to thousands of public records systems. The data is as accurate as each individual public record filed at a courthouse.

Top quality lists are free for up to seven days if you take advantage of a free trial offer. During the free trial offer, you have more than enough time to search, identify and evaluate thousands of high probability prospects. You may target searches specifically to subdivisions, streets, cities or counties. You may use highly specific parameters to search any state. These capabilities enable highly targeted, precise culling of properties that may waste your time. When utilizing a free offer, be sure to notice ease of use, categories of information provided, and especially the number of prospects located in your area.

Finding prospects is the bottom line. If you have access to all information necessary to conduct a thorough investigation, spotting the best properties becomes almost automatic. For example, a photograph should reveal a sagging roof and vandalism. Do not waste time on homes in poor condition. Do not waste time on homes with excessive liens, subject to litigation, or embroiled in a bankruptcy battle.

Over a week, using nothing more than a 100% free foreclosure listing, you will accurate determine the potential of all available homes in your county of residence, and as many surrounding counties you may choose to consider. In less than a week, you might be bidding on the deal of a lifetime, and buy a $125,000 home for half of its true market value.