When a person can no longer make payments on their mortgage loan, their houses become what is known as tax foreclosure properties. The process after that is fairly simple. First of all, a court order is obtained to lock out the mortgage owner's rights to the house and to stop the mortgage. After this, the property is sold off at auction, or at a fraction of the original price. When someone purchases homes that were foreclosed, it is known as foreclosure investment. Usually, these properties are purchased at around half their market value.