Fannie Mae Auctions : As you can imagine, Fannie Mae auctions off real estate, but actually, so do the GSA and Treasury auctions listed above. In Fannie Mae’s case, it owns thousands of properties because people defaulted on their Fannie Mae-insured mortgages.

 Sample Lot: a 969-square-foot condo in the Glover Park neighborhood of Washington. Asking price: $299,000.

FDIC Auctions : The FDIC, which insures banks, gets its holdings when they fail and sells some of them via auction to the public. We’re talking commercial buildings, land, houses, apartment buildings and — weirdly — bank buildings. The FDIC’s auction page even contains a section called “Bargain Properties.”

Sample Lot:  2 bedroom 2 bath condo in Boca Raton, Fla. Asking price: $229,900.

Cash surveys

HUD Auctions : HUD, of course, owns houses nationwide that it obtained when people defaulted on their HUD-insured home loans. HUD’s site lists homes for sale in most every state, some fixer-uppers, others in excellent condition.

 USDA Auctions : The U.S. Department of Agriculture also auctions off houses and apartment buildings, but why buy one of those when you can buy a farm or ranch from the USDA? The agency obtains these properties when people default on USDA-insured loans, among other ways. Hint, the text version of USDA’s auction site is easier to use.

U.S. Marshal’s Service Auctions : And finally, the U.S. Marshal’s service auctions off some true bling as part of its mission to “combat major criminal activity by disrupting and dismantling illegal enterprises” and “depriving criminals of the proceeds of illegal activity.” Once again, there is real estate, but also businesses, cash cars, collectibles — and more.

 Sample Lot: 2006 Suzuki GSX Motorcycle. Bid when I looked: $4,050.

As you browse the government auction sites above, you’ll notice some link you to additional sites run by private contractors. These contractors have legitimate relationships with the government, but bidder beware: other private companies will try to make their auctions seem like government auctions as a marketing ploy.

Always start with the legitimate links provided by the government itself.

Good luck!