Buying foreclosures on the steps getting easier?

[Brooks Conkle]

I've noticed that Auction.com/Zillow lists properties with upcoming dates. Before, you had to be ''in the know'' by constantly checking a purchased list.

Now there is plenty of time to get a title search done and check out the property. Yes, it still may get delayed and the starting bid might be too high, but it seems as if this type of investing might become easier.

Anyone sharing this view?

Anyone have an idea of what % of deals are displayed in advance via Auction.com etc.?

[Steve Babiak]

So, my DIG subgroup had an auction.com rep do a presentation just last night. All auction.com is doing is providing an advertising service (unless they are going to be the auctioneer crying the property at the courthouse) for the lenders who choose to drum up interest in the courthouse auction in advance. Not all lenders participate, so it will not be a complete list of properties to be auctioned at the courthouse. And we were told that the information being provided in these ads is stuff that the lender supplied to auction.com; that brought an audience question about accuracy of the info - to which I stated that it is info being provided by the seller, so it can only be trusted as much as you would trust any other seller supplied info (little to none).

zillow is good at pulling public records, so content there will likely reflect the public record information. If it is in the public record already, the auction bidders already are pulling that data, so this in no way makes it easier. And I would trust zillow's auction bid about as much as a zestimate can be trusted (little to none). And zillow is selling advertising as well, so it's quite possible that lenders could be advertising there to drum up advance interest in the auction. 

@Rich Weese has a few posts that are part of the FAQ thread that I assembled where he tells how "easy" bidding at auction really is - good reading for those not yet enlightened. See link:

https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/41/topics/689...