But there are other types of Iowa auctions which do not in my opinion get enough attention. They are the many auctions in Iowa which are organized by various government agencies. Whether it is any one of numerous local or state government departments liquidating used equipment in order to upgrade or update, or one of the several branches of law enforcement auctioning repossessed or seized property. Some of these venues can offer opportunities not found anywhere else.

Aside from the fact that much of the merchandise at many of these Iowa auctions can be in near new and excellent condition, and unlike a lot of private estate sales, many times there is no reserve or minimum price at which auction inventory has to be sold. For example, in county sheriffs Iowa auctions, much of the inventory may have been confiscated due to illegal activity. Their primary focus may not be on marketing the merchandise and getting the best possible price – mostly it is just to get rid of it quick and easy and use the proceeds to help fund their departments.

Because of this, these types of Iowa auctions are a great place to find cheap cheap merchandise. Aside from the bigger ticket items which catch most peoples eyes like cars, trucks, boats, Rvs and even real estate, there is also the possibility of every conceivable smaller type of consumer goods as well. High quality furniture and appliances, hand and power tools, hunting and fishing equipment and just about anything else you can imagine. Collectable antiques, jewellery, watches, clothing – if it exists, there is a chance you can eventually find it at one of these auctions in Iowa.

The trick is to know when and where they are located. They generally are required by law to post the details in a public venue so everyone has a chance to participate, but the fact that most people have no clue about most of these sales makes it obvious that the posting requirements are less than adequate.

Check with your county courthouse and you can probably find details of at least some of the governmental Iowa auctions coming up. Or subscribe to a professional service which lets you know of just about every opportunity throughout the year. Right now this is probably the best Iowa Auction and sale listings service available. It not only includes Iowa auctions but auctions and sales throughout the country as well as many online auctions. The price is extremely cheap and the information is timely and thorough. 

Here is a tiny example of the type of information you can get:

University of Iowa Surplus	Surplus	Taking place online at Iowa CityIA-52242	Start Date- 2/21/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=5331&src=src2&DateID=22634&PID=2588113
University of Iowa Surplus	Surplus	Taking place online at Iowa CityIA-52242	Start Date- 2/23/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=5331&src=src2&DateID=9632&PID=2588113
University of Iowa Surplus	Surplus	Taking place online at Iowa CityIA-52242	Start Date- 2/29/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=5331&src=src2&DateID=7792&PID=2588113
University of Iowa Surplus	Surplus	Taking place online at Iowa CityIA-52242	Start Date- 3/1/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=5331&src=src2&DateID=21188&PID=2588113
University of Iowa Surplus	Surplus	Taking place online at Iowa CityIA-52242	Start Date- 3/6/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=5331&src=src2&DateID=11474&PID=2588113
Black Hawk County Secondary Roads Surplus Auction	State & Local Surplus	Taking place online at WaterlooIA-50703	Start Date- 3/7/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=5166&src=src2&DateID=9843&PID=2588113
University of Iowa Surplus	Surplus	Taking place online at Iowa CityIA-52242	Start Date- 3/12/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=5331&src=src2&DateID=25116&PID=2588113
University of Iowa Surplus	Surplus	Taking place online at Iowa CityIA-52242	Start Date- 3/13/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=5331&src=src2&DateID=3906&PID=2588113
University of Iowa Surplus	Surplus	Taking place online at Iowa CityIA-52242	Start Date- 3/14/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=5331&src=src2&DateID=8606&PID=2588113
Hawkeye Community College Surplus Auction	State & Local Surplus	Taking place online at WaterlooIA-50701	Start Date- 3/15/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=5112&src=src2&DateID=6373&PID=2588113
University of Iowa Surplus	Surplus	Taking place online at Iowa CityIA-52242	Start Date- 3/15/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=5331&src=src2&DateID=23806&PID=2588113
ISU Surplus Sale	Surplus	Taking place Live at AmesIA-50010	Start Date- 3/21/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=619&src=src1&DateID=68223&PID=2588113
Clinton County Sheriff Sale	Sheriff	Taking place Live at Clinton IA-52733	Start Date- 3/23/2012 Close Date- 3/23/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=791&src=src1&DateID=69205&PID=2588113
Scott County Foreclosure Sale	Sheriff	Taking place Live at DavenportIA-52801	Start Date- 3/27/2012 Close Date- 3/27/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=403&src=src1&DateID=67861&PID=2588113
ISU Surplus Sale	Surplus	Taking place Live at AmesIA-50010	Start Date- 3/28/2012 Close Date-	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=619&src=src1&DateID=68224&PID=2588113
Scott County Foreclosure Sale	Sheriff	Taking place Live at DavenportIA-52801	Start Date- 4/3/2012 Close Date- 4/3/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=403&src=src1&DateID=67862&PID=2588113
ISU Surplus Sale	Surplus	Taking place Live at AmesIA-50010	Start Date- 4/4/2012 Close Date-	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=619&src=src1&DateID=68225&PID=2588113
ISU Surplus Sale	Surplus	Taking place Live at AmesIA-50010	Start Date- 4/11/2012 Close Date-	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=619&src=src1&DateID=68226&PID=2588113
Iowa DOT Small Equipment Sale	Surplus	Taking place Live at AmesIA-50010	Start Date- 4/14/2012 Close Date- 4/14/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=597&src=src1&DateID=66991&PID=2588113
ISU Surplus Sale	Surplus	Taking place Live at AmesIA-50010	Start Date- 4/18/2012 Close Date-	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=619&src=src1&DateID=68227&PID=2588113
ISU Surplus Sale	Surplus	Taking place Live at AmesIA-50010	Start Date- 4/25/2012 Close Date-	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=619&src=src1&DateID=68228&PID=2588113
ISU Surplus Sale	Surplus	Taking place Live at AmesIA-50010	Start Date- 5/2/2012 Close Date-	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=619&src=src1&DateID=68229&PID=2588113
Dallas County Tax Sale	TaxSale	Taking place Live at AdelIA-50003	Start Date- 6/18/2012 Close Date- 6/18/2012	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=794&src=src1&DateID=66108&PID=2588113
Woodbury County Sheriff Sale	Sheriff	Taking place Live at Sioux CityIA-51101	Daily Close Date-	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=436&src=src1&DateID=0&PID=2588113
University of Iowa Online Surplus Auction	Surplus	Taking place online at Iowa CityIA-52242	Daily Close Date-	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=613&src=src1&DateID=0&PID=2588113
City of Iowa City Commodities, Services, Vehicles & Equipment Sale	Surplus	Taking place Live at Iowa CityIA-52240	Daily Close Date-	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=616&src=src1&DateID=0&PID=2588113
Iowa City Surplus Vehicles & Equipment Auction	Surplus	Taking place Live at Iowa CityIA-52240	Daily Close Date-	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=617&src=src1&DateID=0&PID=2588113
Iowa City Surplus Equipment & Furniture Sale	Surplus	Taking place Live at Iowa CityIA-52240	Daily Close Date-	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=618&src=src1&DateID=0&PID=2588113
University of Iowa Surplus Auctions	Surplus	Taking place Live at IA-52242	Daily Close Date-	http://www.governmentauctions.org/aNoFeeAuctionShow.asp?AucId=1531&src=src1&DateID=0&PID=2588113

The prices averaged about 167,500$ which is up from last Oct average of around 158k$.

These stats coming from the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors

(video at bottom of Home page)

But here we are in 2011, just one year later, and another “buzz” generating sale has just taken place in the great state of Iowa. A one hundred twenty (120) acre farmstead near Sioux Center just sold for a whopping 16,750$ / acre. Another new Iowa record for farmland prices!

Just 10 years ago Iowa farmland prices averaged 1,926$ / Acre.

Iowa farmland values soured 34% just in the period from Sept 2010 to Sept 2011! The fact that corn prices have doubled as well as soybean prices shooting up obviously are a major factor in the increased valuation of Iowa farmland.

Although popular opinion says that Iowa farmers are in a very strong financial position overall – one can’t help but be a little aprehensive at this frantic pace of increasing farmland prices. Afterall, there have been periods in history (1919-1920 and 1972-1974) when land prices saw huge booms and what followed were 2 very severe farm depressions.

But hopefully the current practice of banks requiring as much as 50% down before any monies are loaned will help offset the danger of any severe crises such as we saw in those earlier periods.

Polk County Treasurer Mary Maloney said she expects 20,000 customers to come through her office this month, so she encourages taxpayers to make payments online at www.IowaTaxAndTags.gov. Online payments can be made via credit card or electronic check, and the website is available around the clock.

Full or partial payments can be made. Late interest accrues at 1.5 percent per month after the deadline.

More details can be found in the entire article at the Des Moines Register here.

I just can’t help but be amazed at the degree to which management standards have deteriorated over the years. Whatever it is a manager is concerned about ( he said it was complaints from another member of staff about these employees “chatting” too much) you would think there would be better ways to handle it. But BUGGING the employees?

To me this is obviously someone in a management position who has no business being there. Managing people involves  communicating with your employees in order to solve problems. And to be so incredibly insecure that you have to resort to planting a bug in order to learn your staffs’ thoughts tells me he does not possess the communication or management skills needed to supervise a group of people.

But then again, to my even greater amazement, the HR representative was in on it as well. It boggles the mind!

And to think there is a very powerful faction in this country right now trying everything within their power to eliminate unions?? Luckily these workers are part of a Union who will hopefully fight on their behalf to make sure this kind of incompetent unprofessional behavior doesn’t happen again. But what would happen if they weren’t Unionized? The answer: absolutely nothing. Which is just what every under-qualified, incompetent, inadequate manager would wish for. That way they don’t have to actually do their job and – manage people.

Compare that to Des Moines and West Des Moines which showed a 12.2% increase.

The Quad Cities actually showed only a .98% decline from ’09 (although compared to ’08 the number was a whopping 35.7 increase).

Nationally the number of homes in foreclosure at the end of 2010 represented a 1.7% increase over the prev year.

These figures came form Realty Track.

But I thought it might be useful to post this snippet directly from the FTC’s website. There is a link at the end of this post to the entire article and I encourage you to visit their site.

Vehicle Repossession: Understanding the Rules of the Road

Chances are you rely on your vehicle to get you where you need to go — and when you need to go — whether it’s to work, school, the grocery store, or the soccer field. But if you’re late with your car payments, or in some states, if you don’t have adequate auto insurance, your vehicle could be taken away from you.

When you finance or lease a vehicle, your creditor or lessor has important rights that end once you’ve paid off your loan or lease obligation. These rights are established by the contract you signed and the law of your state. For example, if you don’t make timely payments on the vehicle, your creditor may have the right to “repossess” — ­or take back your car without going to court or warning you in advance. Your creditor also may be able to sell your contract to a third party, called an assignee, who may have the same right to seize the car as the original creditor.

The Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, wants you to know that your creditor’s rights may be limited. Some states impose rules about how your creditor may repossess the vehicle and resell it to reduce or eliminate your debt. Creditors that violate any rules may lose other rights against you, or have to pay you damages.

Seizing the Vehicle

In many states, your creditor can seize your vehicle as soon as you default on your loan or lease. Your contract should state what constitutes a default, but failure to make a payment on time is a typical example.

However, if your creditor agrees to change your payment date, the terms of your original contract may not apply any longer. If your creditor agrees to such a change, make sure you have it in writing. Oral agreements are difficult to prove.

Once you are in default, the laws of most states permit the creditor to repossess your car at any time, without notice, and to come onto your property to do so. But when seizing the vehicle, your creditor may not commit a “breach of the peace.” In some states, that means using physical force, threats of force, or even removing your car from a closed garage without your permission.

Should there be a breach of the peace in seizing your car, your creditor may be required to pay a penalty or to compensate you if any harm is done to you or your property. A breach of peace also may give you a legal defense if your creditor sues you to collect a “deficiency judgment” — that is, the difference between what you owe on the contract (plus repossession and sale expenses) and what your creditor gets from the resale of your vehicle.

There is a lot more and again, I would recommend that you go read it HERE.

Iowa’s fourth-quarter foreclosure rate rose to 2.92 percent from 2.79 percent a year earlier, a national report showed.

But the rate of delinquent loans in Iowa has been dropping steadily, the Mortgage Bankers Association said in its quarterly national survey. Of 354,738 home loans in Iowa, about 6 percent were past due, more than a full percentage point drop from a year earlier.

The number of home loans more than 90 days past due dropped almost a full percentage point as the most at-risk mortgages passed into foreclosure in the last three months of 2010.

The improved outlook is reflected across the country, according to the survey.

Total delinquencies, not including loans in foreclosure, are now at their lowest level nationally since the end of 2008. Mortgages only one payment past due are now at their lowest level since the end of 2007, the beginning of the recession.

“Perhaps most importantly, loans three payments or more past due have fallen from an all-time high delinquency rate of 5.02 percent at the end of the first quarter of 2010 to 3.63 percent at the end of the fourth quarter of 2010,” said Jay Brinkmann, MBA’s chief economist. “While delinquency and foreclosure rates are still well above historical norms, we have clearly turned the corner.”

Financial lenders are working their way through huge back-log of delinquent mortgage holders. Not all of those will necessarily end up foreclosed houses, but many probably will. So far this year over half a million foreclosed houses in the US. If that pace continues we will surpass the 900k foreclosed houses in 09 (according to Realty Track).

Just to put this in perspective in the past, a figure nearer 100,000 foreclosed houses /year has been the average.

One aspect of this crises making it even more difficult for families to cope – is that many lenders are refusing to refinance loans in order to provide lower payments and rates. It can take around 15 months for a loan to progress from 30 days overdue to ultimately being sold and joining the ranks of foreclosed houses in America. So in a lot of cases – just a little cooperation and compromise on the part of the lender could mean the difference between losing everything and hanging on to survive the storm.

Here is another staggering figure. Around 1,700,000 mortgage holders have received notices warning of foreclosure in the first 6 months of 2010 – one of many steps in the foreclosure procedure. That figure amounts to 1 in 78 homes in America!

Again 1 in 78 homeowners have received foreclosure warning notices from their lender!! Just wow! Scary stuff.

Lets hope the government can find a way to force our lenders to work with struggling home owners more efficiently and at least stem the tide of these foreclosed houses which are becoming more and more of a strain on the entire economy.

Needless to say, whatever help we can get in the form of government intervention and “pressure” on our lending institutions, it seems likely, to me anyway, that downward pricing pressure will be with the housing market for quite some time to come.