Public notice of legal procedures is a fundamental and vital principle of fairness in the in the American legal system. Legal notice is the information of all the legal proceedings of a particular case, including the documents filed, decisions, requests, motions, petitions, and upcoming dates. Legal documents notify both parties affected by a lawsuit or legal proceeding, the opposing attorney, and the court.

The purpose of legal notice is not to help a real-estate investor specializing in purchasing foreclosure properties. Rather it is that neither a party of a suit nor the court itself can operate in secret, make private overtures, or conceal their actions. Notice of a lawsuit begins with personal service on the defendants of the complaint together with instructions to file an answer in court.

As the foreclosure process proceeds through the court, legal notice is made to make sure all interested parties are notified. In the case of a foreclosure, anyone with an interest in the real estate is made aware of pending action. For example, a contractor (called a mechanic in legal terms) with a potential lien is notified by the legal notice and must act to protect the lien. If the contractor does nothing, the lien will not be available once the foreclosure is complete.

All of these places can provide excellent leads and sources of information to help locate properties in foreclosure. As an active foreclosure investor you should be reading these legal notices daily.