ALAMEDA COUNTY, CA — Hundreds of parcels in Alameda County will be available for auction online later this month with bids as low as $455.
The tax-defaulted properties auction will run March 20-23 and feature 256 parcels, according to Bid4Assets, a website that hosts government sales and auctions.
A $5,000 deposit must be paid by March 17 and full payment after the auction will be due March 25. Bidders who don’t win anything will receive a refund of their deposit.
The auction page warns that properties are sold as is and urges bidders to research any parcels that catch their interest.
“The sale of these properties should not, in any way, be equated to real estate sales by licensed salespeople, brokers or realtors,” according to Bid4Assets. “The County of Alameda makes no guarantee, expressed or implied, relative to the title, location or condition of the properties for sale.”
But for a well-prepared bidder, there may be some deals to be had.
A 1,300-square-foot, three-bedroom house on a 5,000-square-foot lot at 33729 14th Street in Union City has a minimum bid of $16,903, but real estate website Redfin estimates its value at $852,913 — more than 50 times the minimum bid.
Higher on the price scale is a roughly 18-acre vineyard and villa property at 741 Kalthoff Common in Livermore, according to Redfin. It has a minimum bid of $623,985, but Redfin estimates its value at nearly $10.4 million.
Winning bidders can generally expect a deed transfer within three weeks to three months, according to Bid4Assets.