Pasco foreclosure auctions move online

NEW PORT RICHEY - The foreclosure crisis may be relatively new, but selling foreclosed property is often done the old-fashioned way -- on the steps of the courthouse. Those days are gone in Pasco County.

Monday morning, the Pasco Clerk of Courts office moved foreclosure auctions off the courthouse steps and into cyberspace.

"Right now we have 17 bidders signed up with deposits, ready to bid on today's auction," Courts Clerk Paula O'Neil said just moments before the start of Monday's auction.

There are nearly 8,000 foreclosed homes in Pasco County. Until now, anyone who hoped to buy one at auction would have to appear at the courthouse in person during the actual auction or be locked out of the process.

"We hope to attract more bidders from outside the area that might be interested in moving to Florida and maybe we can get the neighborhoods cleaned up," O'Neil explained.

The online auction will also ease the huge workload on members of the clerk's staff.

"This will definitely make things smoother, it won't take as long, hopefully," offered Stacy Osborne, who runs the foreclosure section.

Once online, bidders can do more than make an offer.

"You can look at the case, you can do your homework, visit the tax collector, the property appraiser," stated Craig McIntyre of Real Auction, the company administering the auction. "You can look at the land values, you can look at the official records."

If you'd like to learn more, the site is www.pasco.realforeclose.com .