The house across the street has been empty since the day we moved in. I can’t totally complain, though. The bank-owned property gets groomed every now and then, and I’ve been able to score an extra garbage can to lug out the 10,000 lbs of leaves that collect in my backyard.

The property hasn’t ‘officially’ been up for sale very long, but now it’s going up on the chopping block: a public home auction.

Is this good for my home’s value?

I’m going to cross my fingers, look to the stars and say, “Yes!”

I’m hoping someone scoops it up for a deal — I checked around online and saw ‘starting bids’ of $17K-19K — then fixes it up and moves in. Or, at least, that someone fixes it up and rents it out to awesome people.

When I saw the sign with the dates of a few pre-auction open houses first, I got excited. I really just want a chance to check out the inside of the casa. And I’m interested in seeing how a home auction works. I mean, is a fast-talking host going to stand on a soap box in front of a bunch of cash-heavy investors and homebuyer hopefuls? I didn’t catch anyone over there last Saturday, so I’m hoping I’m around for the next one.

Oh crap … if there’s a next one … I just checked Auction.com, and the property listing says “Bid Pending Confirmation.”

What’s that mean!? Is a sale pending!? I’ll keep you posted!