Courthouse Property Auctions

[Tim Exposito]

I happened to attend my first property auction a week or so ago at the local courthouse. I watched a guy walk away with a house for $86,000. It was a great looking property in a nice neighborhood. All surrounding comps were in the $130-$150k range. 

Does anyone have advice on these types of purchases? I've been doing some research on some properties coming up for auction that I'm thinking of going after. I did some title searches, tax searches, and from what I can tell, the only lien on the house is from the mortgage company. I feel like I've looked in all the right places for, this should be an easy purchase. I've calculated my max bid amount for a couple properties. 

Any advice is appreciated!