How to Buy a Government-Owned House

The US government takes possession of a surprisingly large number of homes, mostly through foreclosure, but sometimes through abandonment, seizure for unpaid taxes, as part of a criminal proceeding, or for other reasons. But however they came by the house, they sure don't want to keep it. Instead, Uncle Sam wants to sell it to you. Here's how to buy a government-owned home.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A Real Estate Agent is suggested, and may be a requirement for some of the sites listed here.

1. **Start at HomeSales.gov**
   
   The US government has a website at homesales.gov which lists the single family houses available from three agencies -- Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Department of Agriculture (USDA), and Veterans Affairs (VA).
   
   Thousands of homes are listed here from the three agencies, from all over the US. Just click on any state on the map to get started reviewing the available listings.
   
   In addition, there are a large number of international properties available for sale. Click on the 'International Real Estate' tab if these are of interest.
   
   HomeSales.gov suggests that you contact a HUD-approved housing counselor if you want to buy a home through their site. Call 1-800-569-4287 to find a counselor in your area. There is no charge for the housing counselling service.

2. **Visit the IRS Real Estate Site**
   
   Everyone's favorite government agency, the IRS, also acquires a lot of houses, and usually sells them through real estate auctions. You can visit their Property Sales website using the link in the Resources section. Their holdings include homes, commercial buildings, and undeveloped land.

3. **See Other Treasury Auction Sites**
   
   IRS isn't the only action in town when it comes to the Treasury Department -- other services within Treasury have property auctions as well. Head to ustres.gov/auctions to get started with the real property auction services offered through the U.S. Treasury Asset Forfeiture Fund.

4. **Check GSA for Temporary Housing**
   
   The General Services Administration handles auctions of surplus temporary and emergency housing, such as the trailers, huts and manufactured housing used during emergencies like Hurricane Katrina. Head to gsaauctions.gov for complete details.

5. **Go Private to Go Public**
   
   A private service, bid4assets.com, handles property sales for the US Marshals Service. They also have listings for houses and buildings from other sources, both government and non-government.
   
   Visit bid4assets.com, and click on the link for US Marshals Service to find available listings.
   
   You may also be interested in the links for 'Bargain Houses', '$1 No Reserve Homes', and properties from other federal, state, and local government agencies.

Resources

• IRS Property Sales

[shawnee50]

on 7/1/2009 Thanks for the info on buying a Government-Owned House.
LOts of good stuff I sure can use 5*s

[ladym33]

on 6/5/2009 Thank you very much. Usually you can't get good information on this subject with out paying for it. I really appreciate this.