Saturday, November 15, 2008

Government Properties & Surplus - Great Investing Opportunities

By Nolan DeMarko

Seized properties and government surpluses are sold through government auctions to the public for low prices as determined by a bidding process. There are government auctions consistently held all across the United States and Canada. No matter where you live, there will likely be government auctions held near by.

Surplus inventory sold at government auctions come from the federal, state, and local governments. Often the government has a large surplus of unneeded items, and will liquidate them to the public at one of their many auctions. This can happen often as the government's equipment requirements are constantly changing.

Items sold at government auctions can also include items from a bankrupt businesses. Items examples could include furniture, jewellery, electronics, miscellaneous equipment, and more. Government auctions may not be the first place that comes to mind when buying these items, however, it is definately where you can get that best value on both used and new items.

The seized properties offered at these auctions can include foreclosure homes, bankrupt commercial properties, properties owned by convicted criminals, and more. Police have the right to seize a property if the owner is convicted and has to serve time in prison. The most common reason for property being seized is because their owners have neglected to pay their mortgage and/or taxes.

There are many causes as to why a property could be declared abandoned including the owner leaving the property (usually because of property taxes, mortgage default or simply because the property is valued at less then his current mortgage), or the owner dies but there isn't any living family members on record.

You can find out where government auctions are going to be held in your area, as well as the listings that will be available, through the Internet. There are many government auction websites (some are great and some are scams) that charge a membership fee to provide listings and information regarding abandoned/seized properties, and surplus items.

Read government auction reviews on the web to find out where the best membership deals are. This will help prevent you from falling into the many scams that are on the web. - 15224

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