5 Websites to Find Foreclosures, Plus the Loans to Buy Them

By Keith Goeringer

Research checked October 8, 2026

A foreclosure priced below nearby homes deserves a closer look. Your next question should be: Which loan works for this property?

The answer depends on more than your credit score and down payment. The house must qualify for the loan. The seller must accept your financing. The closing deadline must give your lender enough time to finish the work.

For buyers searching Nashville, Franklin, Spring Hill, Columbia, and surrounding Middle Tennessee communities, these five websites offer places to look. Each serves a different type of sale. None guarantees a discount.

Here’s what you’ll find, which loans to review, and what to check before you commit.

1. HUD Home Store: Start here for HUD-owned homes

Website: https://www.hudhomestore.gov/

HUD Home Store lists homes HUD acquired after foreclosure on FHA-insured mortgages. These are HUD-owned homes, rather than every government-owned foreclosure. HUD sells them as-is and gives eligible owner-occupants priority during designated sales periods. A HUD-registered broker submits your bid. [1]

Which loan fits?

For a home meeting the selected program’s property requirements, review conventional, FHA, VA, or USDA financing with your lender. HUD ownership does not automatically make a house eligible for a standard FHA mortgage.

VA financing requires an eligible borrower and a qualifying primary residence. USDA financing adds household-income and rural-address requirements. Check the exact address rather than assuming an entire city qualifies. [5, 6]

If repairs prevent a regular purchase loan, review FHA 203(k) or HomeStyle Renovation. These programs combine an eligible purchase and approved renovation costs in one mortgage through a participating lender. [3, 4]

What to check first

Ask your lender to review the listing’s financing classification, property condition, repair needs, and closing deadline. A renovation loan still requires an approved project and enough time to close.

For a buyer who needs a mortgage and plans to live in the home, HUD Home Store belongs near the top of the search list.

2. HomePath: Fannie Mae-owned homes with financing options

Website: https://www.homepath.com/

HomePath lists Fannie Mae-owned properties. These are often called REO homes, short for real estate owned. Mortgage financing is available for qualifying purchases, and Fannie Mae requires a lender’s prequalification letter before final acceptance of a financed offer. [2]

Which loan fits?

Start by reviewing a conventional purchase loan. HomeReady is another conventional option for eligible borrowers. FHA, VA, or USDA financing also deserves review when the property and purchase terms support the selected program. Fannie Mae ownership does not restrict every purchase to a conventional mortgage. [2, 7]

For a home needing eligible repairs, review HomeStyle Renovation or FHA 203(k). The lender must approve the borrower, property, repair plan, and transaction. [3, 4]

Eligible first-time buyers purchasing an owner-occupied HomePath home who complete Fannie Mae’s HomeView course qualify for consideration for up to 3% in closing cost assistance through HomePath Ready Buyer. This assistance is separate from the mortgage. [2]

What to check first

Confirm the home’s condition, financing options, assistance requirements, and contract terms before submitting your offer.

My starting recommendation for a financed foreclosure search: review HUD Home Store and HomePath first, then evaluate individual auction listings.

3. ServiceLink Auction: Read the financing label before the opening bid

Website: https://www.servicelinkauction.com/

ServiceLink lists foreclosure auction and bank-owned properties. Payment requirements differ by listing. Some show “Financing Considered.” Others require cash. [8, 9]

Which loan fits?

For a listing considering financing, ask the seller and your lender which mortgage programs fit. Depending on the property and terms, the review might include conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, or renovation financing. ServiceLink specifically identifies non-contingent FHA financing as a possibility for some buyer-exclusive properties. [8]

For a cash-only listing, a regular purchase mortgage is not the starting plan. Some listings expressly allow hard-money funding. Review a hard-money or private bridge loan only when the sale permits the arrangement and the lender approves the property, title, intended use, and funding deadline. [9]

Treat a later refinance as a separate approval. Buying with short-term funding does not guarantee qualification for a long-term mortgage afterward.

What to check first

Read the financing language, inspection access, occupancy status, deposit requirements, and closing deadline. A property without interior access presents a different purchase decision from a vacant home available for inspection.

The opening bid gets your attention. The payment terms decide whether the purchase fits your plan.

4. Xome: Financing permission and deposit protection are separate questions

Website: https://www.xome.com/

Xome offers auction listings with property-specific payment requirements. Some allow financing. Others require cash. [10]

Which loan fits?

For a financeable property, start with a conventional loan review. Evaluate FHA, VA, USDA, or renovation financing only after confirming the sale accepts the program and its required contract provisions.

For example, VA requires an escape clause addressing an appraisal below the contract price. Your lender and agent need to resolve those requirements before you bid. [5]

For a cash-only property, review available cash or previously arranged private funding where the sale permits those funds.

What to check first

Xome’s auction participation agreement generally excludes a financing contingency unless the property details provide otherwise. A failed loan does not automatically release you from the purchase, and your earnest money is at risk. [11]

Ask two separate questions: Does this listing allow my loan? What happens to my deposit if the loan fails?

A “financeable” label answers only part of the decision.

5. Bid4Assets: Match your funding to the auction category

Website: https://www.bid4assets.com/

Bid4Assets hosts county tax sales, private real estate auctions, and seller-financed listings. These categories use different payment arrangements. [12, 13, 14]

Which loan fits?

For a short-deadline cash or tax auction, plan around funds already available. Review hard-money or private bridge financing only with a lender willing to approve the specific property and fund within the sale’s deadline.

Bid4Assets says tax-sale payments are usually due within three days after the sale ends. Its private-auction guidance generally requires final payment within five calendar days unless the listing specifies otherwise. Starting a regular mortgage application after winning does not fit those deadlines. [12, 13]

For a “Bid and Assume” listing, review the seller’s financing. Your bid represents the down payment, and you take on the remaining balance under the posted payment terms. Check the interest rate, monthly payment, repayment schedule, fees, and any balloon payment. [14]

For vacant land, ask about a land or lot loan if the sale permits financing and provides enough time. A home-purchase mortgage is a different product from financing a vacant parcel.

What about the $1 opening bids?

Bid4Assets has advertised land auctions starting at $1. The examples verified for this article came from a 2019 promotion. They do not establish current availability of houses priced at one dollar. An opening bid also does not establish your final purchase cost. [15]

What to check first

Identify whether you’re buying a house or land, bidding on the purchase price or down payment, and accepting a cash deadline or seller payment plan.

Which loan should you ask about first?

A qualifying home with ordinary purchase terms: conventional, FHA, VA, or USDA, depending on your eligibility and the property.

A home needing eligible repairs financed with the purchase: FHA 203(k) or HomeStyle Renovation through a participating lender.

A cash-only auction: available cash or specifically approved private funding where permitted.

A seller-financed listing: the seller’s posted financing terms.

A vacant parcel: a land or lot loan where the sale accepts financing.

No loan program overrides the seller’s payment requirements.

Calculate the cost beyond the winning bid

I recently reviewed a Nashville purchase repair scope covering roofing, drainage, HVAC work, crawlspace moisture, a vapor barrier, and radon-pipe correction. This was a separate purchase review. The lesson applies here: you need the repair scope before you understand the cost of ownership.

Consider this hypothetical auction with a 5% buyer premium:

Winning bid: $220,000

Buyer premium: $11,000

Repairs: $35,000

Closing and other acquisition costs: $8,000

Total acquisition and repair budget: $274,000

Now compare $274,000 with similar homes in acceptable condition. Add any financing costs, carrying costs, or reserves excluded from the example. Then determine which expenses require cash and which qualify for financing.

Send me the listing before you bid

In my article and podcast, “Under Contract With a Fake Preapproval Letter,” I covered buyers who paid for inspections and an appraisal before unresolved credit issues surfaced.

A foreclosure purchase adds property condition and sale terms to the financing review.

Before you make an offer or place a bid on a home in Nashville, Franklin, Brentwood, Spring Hill, Columbia, or surrounding Middle Tennessee, send me the listing.

We’ll review your proposed loan, required cash, repair needs, and closing deadline. You’ll have a clearer answer about whether the property fits your homebuying plan.

For the borrower-readiness side of the decision, read or listen to “Under Contract With a Fake Preapproval Letter.”