How to Identify Unclaimed Assets
Because people move and change jobs so frequently, an amazing amount of money--in the form of account balances--goes unclaimed each year. In addition, law-enforcement and government agencies are regularly seizing assets that ultimately find their way to auction sales. You can follow some simple steps to identify unclaimed assets and find some real bargains for yourself.
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Instructions
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Call your local police department and ask when they will have auctions of seized or unclaimed property. This is a good way to buy inexpensive homes, land, cars and other property.
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Visit the site PropertyRoom.com (see Resources). This is a site where many state and local agencies list available unclaimed assets.
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Check out the site Luv2Bid for listings of actions throughout North America. Most of the auctions listed will be from privation auction houses, but some of them will be sheriff sales, bank sales and auctions by local governments.
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Check out your state's website. Many of them will advertise sales and auctions of unclaimed assets.
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Register at eBay. Some states, like Texas, auction their unclaimed assets nationally through eBay rather than running their own sales.
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Check to see if you have any unclaimed money yourself. Every time you move and switch utility companies, it's possible that the deposit you initially paid years ago never found its way back to you. The utility companies are required by law to register these unclaimed payments publicly. Visit MissingMoney.com (see Resources) to see if there is any money due you. Search for as many variations of your name as you have ever used. For instance, if your name is Jonathan Robert Smith, try Jon Smith, Jon R. Smith and Johnathan R. Smith. Check in multiple states, if you have lived in more than one. You can also check for family members and friends who might be willing to give you a finder's fee.
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Tips & Warnings
Some companies will try to charge you for finding unclaimed assets. With the resources available online for free, there is no need to pay anyone for this service.
