Video: Homeowners using auction Web sites to sell homes

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SEATTLE - Home sellers around the country are taking a new step to entice buyers - they're turning to Internet auction sites to sell their homes. 

There is a lot of inventory out there.  According to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service, homes for sale are up 39 percent from a year ago in Western Washington.  With those kind of figures, some homeowners are taking a new step to sell. 

A $400,000 home for a dollar?  That's what you'll find on the Freedom Realty Exchange Web site FRE.com, which is now auctioning off homes in four different states:  California, Arizona, Georgia, and Florida. 

A potential buyer just needs to put down a deposit to get started.  Realtors there hope it jumpstarts the market. 

"As the market is less flooded and comes back to normal, hopefully in the foreseeable future it's good for us and helps," said Art Godi, realtor. 

KING

The Freedom Realty Exchange Web site FRE.com is now auctioning off homes in four different states: California, Arizona, Georgia, and Florida.

A quick check of eBay Thursday shows Western Washington homeowners are trying the same thing. Eight homes for sale in Washington state including a Whidbey Island home with a view and an $800,000 craftsman in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood.  So far, no bids. 

According to the Northwest Multiple Listing Service by the way, median home prices have remained steady in the past year in King County.  They're up in Skagit County and down in Kitsap, Pierce, and Jefferson counties over the same time period.