Foreclosures and pre-foreclosures can be great opportunities for savvy real estate investors and others interested in getting their hands on a potential bargain property. That said, before buying a foreclosure, do keep in mind that if you don't know what you're doing, you can potentially get yourself in trouble. We recommend checking out the free trial offers so you can see which provider you feel best suits you. There are both national and regional foreclosure listing services, which provide Notice of Default, Notice of Trustee Sale and Lis Pendens data on properties in the foreclosure process.