By. Karim El Sheikh

If you’re currently on the market for a new house, you might occasionally come across a listing that advertises “HUD homes,” and wonder exactly what this means.

The real estate business is full of confusing terminology and acronyms, but understanding what a HUD house is and making an effort to seek these properties out could save a buyer thousands of dollars.

HUD is an acronym that loosely stands for “U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.” Basically, a property becomes a HUD home when the previous owners defaulted on a specific mortgage called an FHA. In other words, when FHA-backed mortgages go through the foreclosure process, they become the property of HUD.

The great news regarding HUD homes is that they usually sell for significantly less than the market value of houses in the area – sometime as much as 50 percent or more! That’s because HUD doesn’t want to have these properties on its hands for that long, holding on to the properties for extended periods of time is a money drain. Upkeep and maintenance on numerous vacant homes over extended periods of time costs a pretty penny.

With this in mind, it’s easy to understand the reason the Department is eager to turn these properties as fast as possible. This means that an intrepid buyer could save a lot of money by choosing to purchase a HUD home.

Another point to check for when you’re considering purchasing a HUD property is if it happens to lie in a designated revitalization area. If so, there are discounts on the property to be had if you are a law enforcement officer, a teacher, a firefighter, an emergency medical technician, or if you work with local government or certain nonprofits. Again, if any of these parameters apply to you, be sure to discuss this with the agent selling the property.

As far as the rest of the homebuying process is concerned, obtaining a HUD property is similar to buying nearly any other kind of house. The one major exception to this is the fact that the Department will not pay for any sort of renovations that need to be done to the property.

Therefore, it is imperative for prospective buyers to get a home inspection done before they decide to purchase HUD properties. These houses must be bought as-is, so if the property has structural issues or other problems that you are not willing to fix, then you should not buy the property.

For people who are looking to get the most house for their dollar, HUD homes may be a great option to consider looking into. While the age of foreclosure is hard on many, for those who are looking to buy it’s nothing less than a period of opportunity.

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