Homesales.gov allows you to search homes for sale by the U.S. Government, the site allows you to search by state, city and town. The homes offered for sale are through three government departments, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Agriculture (USDA/Rural Development), and Veterans Affairs (VA).

To submit a bid on a home listed on this site you must work through a broker, real estate agent or servicing agent.

Bidding for HUD homes:

You will need a real estate agent to bid for a HUD home you have found on homesales.gov , the broker can submit a bid online. All homes are listed for a period of time called an “Offer period”, at the end of the offer period, all bids are unslealed the the highest bid is accepted. A bid can be submitted at anytime and your real estate agent will be notified if your bid was accepted 48 hours after the Offer period.

More information on buying a HUD home

Bidding for VA Homes:

You will also need a real estate agent to bid for a VA home found on homesales.gov, the agent will have to prepare the “Offer to Purchase and Contract of Sale VA form. VA homes have a listing broker and your agent will submit the form to the listing agent.

Forms and more information on buying a VA home

Bidding for USDA/Rural Development homes:

After you find a USDA/Rural Development home on homesales.gov that you want to buy, you should contact the local USDA/Rural Development servicing office, which will provide the most current and accurate information regarding the status of the home as well as your eligibility for potential program benefits.

You can find the local servicing office contact information on the home’s description web page. Depending on your circumstances and the status of the property listed, your method of bidding and ultimately purchasing the property may vary.

More information on USDA/Rural Development homes