This is a good question—especially in NYC where “pre-foreclosure listings” don’t really show up the same way they do in other markets.
Most of the activity starts with lis pendens filings (notices of pending foreclosure), which you can find through:
NYSCEF (court filings)
ACRIS / public records
The challenge is timing—by the time these make it onto typical “listing” sites, they’ve usually already been worked.
The real opportunity tends to be earlier, right when the filing hits and before it becomes widely visible.
That’s what I’ve been focused on—tracking new filings daily and layering in things like equity position, violations, tax status, etc., to figure out which ones are actually worth pursuing.
If you (or anyone else here) are still looking in NYC, happy to point you in the right direction.
The most reliable free method for NYC is pulling lis pendens filings directly from ACRIS or the county clerk. A lis pendens is the legal notice filed when a lender begins foreclosure, so it's the earliest public signal a property is in distress (before it ever hits any listing site).
You can also find distressed properties by connecting with wholesalers or sourcing deals on your own through methods like driving for dollars, direct mail, and bandit signs.