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How to Purchase a Rental Property at Auction

A man holds a gavel and a house model on a table, representing a real estate auction.For rental property investors, buying real estate at an auction offers a great chance to secure a property below market value. However, there are numerous aspects you need to understand before your first auction. Buying income properties at auction is far more perilous than acquiring them in other ways. Although having suitable information and a strategy can help reduce some of that risk, real estate auctions will never be suggested for the fearful – or risk-averse – investor. Those comfortable with some risk keep browsing to understand the basics of successfully buying a rental home at auction.

Risks and Benefits of Buying a House at Auction

The primary thing to know before buying an income property at auction is that the process includes risks and benefits. Even though houses sold at auction are offered below market value, most are in poor condition or have serious defects requiring extensive repairs. You may only be able to inspect the property after you buy, so this is one risk that may be difficult to mitigate.

Other risks of buying at auction include the risk of overbidding in the excitement of the moment and face potential delays after purchase as the property goes to several process such as, state or country redemption periods, and so on.

However, auctions are a great place to find real bargains on rental real estate. When you buy a home at a considerable discount, you can increase your cash flows and total return on investment. One more perk is that you can take ownership of the property quickly. Commonly, auctions can transfer title to a home within 30 days, letting you begin planning for your first renter promptly. This shows that your property might begin generating rental income much faster than a conventional sale.

How Real Estate Auctions Work

The initial move of buying a property at an auction begins by finding real estate auctions. This can be attained via searching online auction websites or databases or working with a real estate agent specializing in auctions. After you’ve discovered a potential property, the next stage is to obtain as much information as possible. Don’t forget to conduct a thorough comparative market analysis and examine the property’s potential as a rental home. If attainable, conduct a tour or organize an inspection of the property. If that is not feasible (which is totally the case), you could drive pass and look through the windows. It would be perfect if you conducted your own study. Search for any occupants, liens, or other possible problems that may cause roadblocks to ownership.

To bid competitively at an auction, you need to have a lot of cash on hand and financing aligned before you begin to bid. Typically, to buy a property at auction, you will need a minimum of 10% of the selling price for a deposit, the ability to pay the full balance rapidly (or within a matter of days, in some scenarios), and cash for administrative fees, survey costs, and insurance. Moreover, there are different types of auctions, so don’t forget to thoroughly review all the auction rules and guarantee that you obey them.

What to Expect at an Auction

Before bidding in a real estate auction, you need to sign un and send a refundable deposit of 5% to 10% of the property’s expected selling price. If the auction is in person, strive to arrive around an hour before the auction commences to enroll and receive your official bidding card, which you will utilize when you bid. You’ll log in to the auction website to bid if the auction is online. As soon as the bidding kicks off, it is important to know exactly how much you can offer before the property is no longer a bargain. If you can avoid a bidding war, your risk of paying too much will be significantly minimized.

Within minutes, you will find out whether you’ve won your auction or not. If you don’t succeed, you will acquire a deposit refund. Yet, if you win, you should pay for the property in full immediately after the sale. Certain auctions ask you to bring cash or money order to complete your deal immediately. Others will give you till tomorrow or a few days to send the required payments. Neglecting to do so will result in losing the sale, forfeiting your deposit, and even being banned from participating in future auctions, so finalizing payment as needed is critical. At that time, even if you won the property at auction, you would still have to go through escrow and closing, just as you would when buying any other property.

Developing your investment portfolio – through auctions or any other process – can be a problematic but worthwhile endeavor. Real Property Management Advantage delivers market evaluations, and advice on potential real estate purchases in Warren and adjacent areas. Contact us online or call at 248-554-1010.

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