Pre-foreclosure leads, explained
The lender has started, the property has not sold yet, and the amount of time left depends entirely on which state you are in.
Where the owner is in the process
Somewhere between the first recorded notice and the sale. That range is weeks in a non-judicial state and can be years in a judicial one, which is why "pre-foreclosure" on its own tells you much less than people assume.
Everyone else has the same list
Foreclosure filings are public and every investor in the market pulls them the same week. Expect the owner to have already heard from several people, some of whom made promises they could not keep.
That is why the opening matters more here than anywhere else. Being straightforward about who you are and what you do separates you from the noise faster than any pitch.
The deal risk is the clock
These transactions fail on timing more than on price. Establish the actual sale date early, and be honest when you cannot close inside it — a seller who runs out of runway because you overpromised is a worse outcome than a lead you passed on.
Questions people ask
Can a house still be bought once foreclosure has started?
Yes, up until the sale. The loan is paid off at closing like any other lien. What kills these deals is the calendar, not the mechanics.
Why do you have so few pre-foreclosure leads?
Because we do not work them in judicial states where the filings go stale in the courts, and that removes a large part of the country. We would rather be short on the category than sell a list that looks live and is not.
Related
Every lead on Freedom Leads is a seller who already replied to a text. $5 each, sold once, to one buyer.