Auction.com is the biggest name in online foreclosure and bank-owned property, and that’s exactly the problem for many buyers. The best listings draw crowds of investors, and most winning bids carry a buyer’s premium of 5% or $2,500, whichever is greater. On a $180,000 house, that’s $9,000 you didn’t bid. County sales work differently again; see how tax deed and sheriff sales work.
Other platforms hold different seller and servicer relationships, so their inventory really is different. Here are nine alternatives, grouped by the kind of property each one is actually good for.
TL;DR: the short list
- Hubzu: bank-owned and short-sale homes, but most bids need seller approval
- Xome: foreclosures and REO, part of the Rocket Companies family
- ServiceLink Auction: bank-owned, foreclosure and short-sale listings
- Bid4Assets: county tax sales and sheriff’s sales online
- County trustee and sheriff sales: least competition, most risk
- Ten-X on LoopNet and Crexi: commercial property
- Williams & Williams: homes, land, farms and commercial at auction
- Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions: luxury homes
Brokerage or auctioneer? Run property auctions on your own branded site with our real estate auction software, from $899 one-time.
Auction.com alternatives at a glance
| Platform | Best for | Property types | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hubzu | REO and short sales | Residential | Bids subject to seller approval |
| Xome | Foreclosures and REO | Residential | Closing services tied to the platform |
| ServiceLink Auction | Bank-owned and newly foreclosed homes | Residential | Listing-by-listing terms |
| Bid4Assets | Tax sales and sheriff’s sales | Residential, land, some commercial | County rules, liens, no inspection |
| County sales | Experienced local investors | Anything foreclosed | Cash fast, title risk, often in person |
| Ten-X (LoopNet) | Commercial investment | Multifamily, office, retail, industrial | Due diligence takes real work |
| Crexi | Commercial, non-distressed | All commercial types | Auctions are one part of a broad marketplace |
| Williams & Williams | Homes, land, farms | Residential, rural, commercial | Absolute vs. reserve varies by sale |
| Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions | Luxury homes | High-end residential | Premium pricing, competitive bidding |
Bank-owned and foreclosure homes
1. Hubzu
Run by Altisource, Hubzu lists bank-owned homes and short sales from servicer pipelines that don’t overlap much with Auction.com. The thing to understand before bidding: Hubzu’s own FAQ says bids are subject to the seller’s approval, and the seller can refuse a bid even after the reserve is met. Treat a winning bid as a strong offer, not a purchase.
That suits patient investors who bid on many properties at once. It frustrates buyers who need certainty.
2. Xome
Xome sells foreclosures and REO homes online and describes itself as part of the Rocket Companies family of brands. It bundles title and closing services into the process, which is convenient for a first-time auction buyer and restrictive for an investor with their own title company. Read who handles closing before you bid.
3. ServiceLink Auction
A dedicated residential auction site with bank-owned, foreclosure, newly foreclosed and short-sale listings, and an auction calendar to plan around. It’s less well known than Auction.com, which can mean fewer bidders on the same type of property. Terms vary by listing, so check whether each sale is binding or subject to approval.
Tax sales and courthouse auctions
4. Bid4Assets
Bid4Assets has run online property auctions since 1999 and is now one of the Liquidity Services brands, alongside GovDeals. It hosts county tax sales, sheriff’s sales and foreclosures, and federal forfeiture auctions, and says it has sold more than 125,000 properties. For investors, it’s the easiest way to reach tax-sale inventory across many counties without driving to each courthouse.
Tax sales carry their own rules. Redemption periods, surviving liens and deed types vary by county, and you usually can’t inspect. Read each county’s terms in full. For more government sources, see the best government auction sites.
5. County trustee and sheriff sales
The original channel, still running. Some counties sell online, others still on the courthouse steps, where Williams & Williams notes you generally have to be there in person to bid. Competition is lowest here, and so is the information. You usually can’t go inside, lien research is entirely on you, and payment is often due in certified funds within hours or days. This is where experienced local investors make their money, and where beginners lose theirs.
Commercial property
6. Ten-X (now on LoopNet)
Ten-X built the online commercial auction market: multifamily, office, retail and industrial, with assembled due diligence packages of rent rolls, financials and reports. It’s owned by CoStar Group, and Ten-X auctions now run on LoopNet, which puts them in front of LoopNet’s large commercial buyer audience.
7. Crexi
A broad commercial real estate marketplace with an auction section next to its for-sale and for-lease listings. It’s useful for commercial buyers who want auctions and conventional listings in one search, and it’s better for non-distressed assets than for deep-discount deals.
Auction houses
8. Williams & Williams
A long-established real estate auction company selling homes, commercial property, ranches, farms and land, plus foreclosures and occupied properties. Some sales are absolute (the property sells to the highest bidder regardless of price) and others have a reserve, which changes bidding a lot. See absolute vs. reserve auctions for why.
9. Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions
The luxury end. Concierge Auctions has been majority-owned by Sotheby’s and Realogy (now Anywhere Real Estate) since late 2021 and was renamed Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions in 2022. It sells high-end homes worldwide, often after a conventional listing has stalled, and works alongside the listing agent.
For rural land and farms, regional auctioneers with local buyer lists still sell a large share of what’s out there. They’re relationship businesses rather than platforms, so ask local agents who runs the land auctions in your area.
For a wider list, including platforms for land and specialist property, see the best real estate auction sites.
What to check before bidding anywhere
Binding or offer? Some platforms sell to the high bidder. Others pass your bid to the seller for approval. It’s stated in the terms, not the marketing.
Total cost. Add the buyer’s premium and any technology or transaction fee to your bid. At 5% or $2,500 minimum, a $40,000 house costs $2,500 extra, not $2,000.
Condition and occupancy. Occupied foreclosures usually can’t be entered, so you’re buying condition blind, and eviction becomes your cost and your problem.
Surviving liens. Some sale types leave junior liens, tax liens or HOA debts attached. Order a title search before bidding, not after. Then check the deposit and closing terms: non-refundable deposits within 24 hours and cash closing within 30 days are common, and financing contingencies are rare on distressed sales.
For brokerages and auctioneers: run your own property auctions
Every platform above takes a premium from the buyer and keeps the bidder’s details. Brokerages, auction companies and lenders that sell property regularly are moving to their own branded auction sites instead, and keeping both.
Our real estate auction software is built for exactly that. It includes due diligence vaults for title reports, plat maps and disclosures (with signed NDAs before download), proof-of-funds verification before bidding, earnest money deposit handling, soft close, reserve management with a “reserve met” notice, and “subject to seller confirmation” sales for lenders who need approval windows. Multi-parcel bidding lets buyers bid on single lots, combinations or the whole tract. You set your own percentage or flat buyer’s premium, and invoices calculate it automatically. Every bid is logged with a timestamp and IP address.
It’s a one-time license ($899, $1,999 or $2,999) on your own server, with no listing fees and no commission on sales. The architecture is in how to build a site like Auction.com, and the business side in how to start an online real estate auction platform. For fee strategy, see what a buyer’s premium is.
Sell property on your own auction platform
Try the live demo, compare license options, or tell us how many properties you sell and we’ll scope the setup.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best alternative to Auction.com?
For bank-owned homes, Hubzu, Xome and ServiceLink Auction. For tax and sheriff’s sales, Bid4Assets or your county’s own sale. For commercial property, Ten-X on LoopNet or Crexi. For luxury homes, Sotheby’s Concierge Auctions.
How much is the buyer’s premium on Auction.com?
On properties that charge one, Auction.com says it’s usually 5% of the winning bid or $2,500, whichever is greater, paid by the winning bidder. Check the terms on each listing.
Is Hubzu better than Auction.com?
Not better, different. It has different seller relationships, so different homes. But Hubzu bids are subject to seller approval, so winning doesn’t guarantee a purchase.
Which property auction site has the least competition?
County trustee and sheriff sales, because they carry the most risk and the least information. Regional land auctions are next.
Can I get a mortgage for an auction property?
Rarely on foreclosure and tax sales, which usually need certified funds within days. Some REO and auction-house sales allow financing. Check each listing before you bid.
Are auction properties actually cheaper?
Sometimes, but less often than people assume once the premium, repairs, holding costs and eviction risk are counted.
Can I build my own site like Auction.com?
Yes. You need timed auctions with soft close, proof-of-funds checks, document rooms, deposits and buyer’s premium handling. Our real estate auction software includes all of that. Talk to our team about your listings.
