You will save time in your hunt for profitable properties when you find a preforeclosure list website that enables you to locate potential deals quickly. Start at the top of the list of websites, and, working down the list in order, see how long it takes for you to zero in on the preforeclosure home located nearest to where you live, on each site. This exercise should not take longer than five minutes for all the websites. After you finish, make a note on a piece of paper which two or three sites you feel most comfortable with, and which leave you feeling less comfortable.

Here are your links to each site:

1. Foreclosure.com
2. ForeclosureData.com
3. ForeclosureFreeSearch.com
4. Foreclosures.com
5. RealtyTrac.com

Are you finished? Did you mark your list? Good. You just stepped out in front of the pack in determining your preferential data source. Now let's create some distance between you and your competition.

This next exercise gives you an edge in having as many potential profitable deals as possible. The more candidates available to you, the less likely you are to become too attached to any single transaction. Remember, in negotiations, he or she who wants it least, wins. Think about that as you work your way down the list.

Here's what I want you to do; start at the top of the list again and see how many types of foreclosure lists are provided. In other words, can you locate preforeclosures, trustee auctions, sheriff sales, tax lien auctions, REOs, and even IRS auctions? The more you can find, the more opportunities you will be able to locate. You are scouting out the terrain here, but, again, five minutes should be quite adequate. Here are your links-

1. Foreclosure.com
2. ForeclosureData.com
3. ForeclosureFreeSearch.com
4. Foreclosures.com
5. RealtyTrac.com

Are you finished? Did you make your marks on your paper next to the the sites that provided the broadest variety, and those that provided the narrowest? Are any sites starting to stand out one way or another? If so, your decision making process is steadily being enhanced. Let's continue.

If you find a foreclosure list website that provides superior training, you can leap frog your way past your competitors. Knowledge, especially in negotiation, gives you power. Use this quick exercise to pack value in your decision by aligning yourself with a website committed to giving you the tools to learn and develop. The faster you learn the business, the faster your bank account grows.

So this time check to see how much education you can pick up from each site. There are a couple that really stand out in this area. See if you can find them.

Here are you links-

1. Foreclosure.com
2. ForeclosureData.com
3. ForeclosureFreeSearch.com
4. Foreclosures.com
5. RealtyTrac.com

A decision to eliminate one or two sites here will strengthen your ability to evaluate, and decide. Isn't that a skill you need to invest in preforeclosures? Won't that make you a better investor? Take a chance. Drop at least two sites from your list right now. Did you do it? Let's keep moving. Your next exercise shows you the quality of the support you can expect from your foreclosure data vendor.

Now you will equip yourself with the knowledge that your foreclosure data source provides more that raw data. You want a provider that remains available if the road becomes bumpy.

At the very least you must be able to get answers to your questions concerning their service via email, snail mail, an "800" phone number, and a comprehensive FAQ. How easily can you find that contact information on their website?

To find out quickly their response time and customer service quality, give them a call on their 800# right now. Ask them about their cancellation policy. See how helpful and friendly they are. After you do this, your final one or two candidates will likely be clear. Have fun-

1. Foreclosure.com
2. ForeclosureData.com
3. ForeclosureFreeSearch.com
4. Foreclosures.com
5. RealtyTrac.com

Now you know who you can rely on to answer questions quickly. How powerful is that?

That makes the final step in your decision making process easy. Let's go there and do it, now.

Congratulations! You now possess all the facts you need to make a sound decision in picking your preforeclosure list source. You are leagues beyond your competition because you have narrowed your data choices down based on the factors that really matter.

While your competition is haphazardly choosing a preforeclosure list based, most likely, on price alone, you have methodically evaluated each site for features that save you time, and enhance your knowledge.

The next step is simple. Of the two or three sites still on your list, use your intuition to pick the one you feel most comfortable using. Determine if you can live with the investment required for a one or two month subscription. If you can, then request a seven day free trial.

This way you can try it out for a week to see if it's really what you expect. If it is, great. Let the subscription run a month. Find two or three profitable properties.

If, however, after five or six days, it's not what you expected, cancel your subscription. Move on to your second choice site.

Request their seven day free trial. This gives you an opportunity to check out a site or two without spending any money, and also gives you a chance to decide if this business is something you really do want to pursue.

I hope it is because the potential rewards can be phenomenal, but the decision is really up to you. Like I said, I just wanted to help you get off to as clean a start as possible.

As I said before, let the race begin-

1. Foreclosure.com
2. ForeclosureData.com
3. ForeclosureFreeSearch.com
4. Foreclosures.com
5. RealtyTrac.com