- Citigroup Gets Burned in the Caribbean September 3, 2010The bank is selling its mortgage on the Viceroy Anguilla to Starwood Capital Group at a hefty discount, the latest example of capitulation by a bank that has nursed a troubled real-estate project for years. […]
- New Resorts Owners Roll Dice September 1, 2010Morris Bailey and Dennis Gomes are paying $35 million for Resorts Atlantic City, at a time when gambling revenue is declining and customers are being siphoned off to Pennsylvania venues. […]
- Capital Freeze Thaws for Real-Estate Funds September 1, 2010Real-estate funds saddled with boom-time properties are getting relief from Wall Street firms and other investors hoping to capitalize on their need for cash. […]
- Corio's Turkish Strategy Stumbles September 1, 2010The Dutch company's expansion has yielded disappointing results due to the weak economy, competition and the difficulties of exporting Western shopping concepts to a country steeped in different traditions. […]
Condo Auctions
With the ever changing Chicago real estate market a centuries old process of buying and selling has resurfaced. Condo auctions are becoming one of the most attractive ways to buy or sell real estate no matter if it is your primary residence, vacation home, or investment property. To many people in Chicago a real estate auction is foreign to their way of thinking regarding the purchase or sale of their condo or home, but auctions have long been the primary means of buying and selling real estate in other parts of the country, particularly the south. Auctions are the relatively simple process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the winning bidder. The definition above is the basic auction form but there are several variations, including time limits, minimum or maximum limits on bid prices, and special rules for determining the winning bidder or sale price. Many times the participants may or may not know the identities or actions of the other bidders and they can participate in a variety of ways, such as by telephone, or internet. No matter how the auction is conducted the seller usually pays a commission based on a percentage of the final sales price.
Real estate auctions are exponentially growing due to all the talk we continually hear about the economy and real estate. There are foreclosures, loss of equity and homeowners in trouble and it can make it difficult to sell properties not matter where they are located. The media is helping condo auctions and smart buyers and sellers are using it to their advantage. Real estate auctions attract buyers and they can get the highest and best offer in the shortest amount of time. The media helps with this by talking about how real estate is cheap and now is a great time to buy. Free advertising is being provided so when potential buyers see auction signs they believe a deal is waiting to be made. Additionally, real estate auctions are moving to online sites that cater to our more technologically advanced buying public which many motivated sellers are seeing as an advantage since mass advertising at very little cost can expose their property to the maximum number of buyers possible. More and more real estate agents are discovering that marketing is much less expensive and online condo auctions give them the most bang for their marketing buck. Auctions are a trend that with today’s economy will continue to grow.