Real Estate and Home Mortgages - How to find if Foreclosure started on house Id like to buy?

There is a house I am interested in buying but it is a bit too expensive. I know the owner is in financial trouble, Im just not sure how much.

Id like to approach about buying at market value the moment a first mortgage payment is missed.

Is there anyway I can check this - without asking the owner?

One of the financial pro's should be along with the definitive answer, but my guess would be no; I'm sure there must be some legal privacy protections to prevent it.

There's no way for you to know if they default on a payment. The only way you could know anything without talking to the homeowner is to watch for a foreclosure notice in the newspaper. That's usually at about 5 months delinquent.

Are you saying they're asking more than the house is worth? There may be factors you don't know about justifying the price. Regardless, you shouldn't feel odd about putting in an offer at what you think the house is worth to you. If they turn it down, tell them to contact you if they reconsider. You don't need to know their finances to do that much.