Smart investors often make an extreme profit by investing in promissory notes. See, a note purchase means the purchaser is buying a lender's promissory note instead of the actual property. The foreclosure process can be expensive in time and money for financial institutions. When a loan under-performs, these institutions are often willing to sell them at a discount. Note purchases are a risky business though. Legal counsel is strongly advised for all note purchases. Again, when an investor purchases a promissory note, the buyer buys a lien right from a lender. This means, the buyer can't actually possess the property.