Florida was the first state in the nation to put foreclosure sales online in 2010. Participants enter their maximum bids. The system checks all bids and enters one on behalf of each participant at $100 more than the next highest bid. The typical online auction takes just about two minutes. Registration is free, and the auctions are open to anyone with a computer. Everyone agreed that the decision to hold the auction at the Web was a step in the right direction.
Three years after Broward and Palm Beach counties moved foreclosure auctions to the Internet, officials say the change has eliminated backlogs and saved staff time and money. Clerk of Courts Howard C. Forman said the online auctions have helped reduce Broward's backlog of foreclosure cases to more than 20,000 from 80,000. According to him, the online auctions allowed the county to redeploy six staffers at an average salary of $40,000 a year. Amy Stein, manager of Palm Beach County's foreclosure and tax deed department, said they now can quickly auction homes that have made it through the court system. She said that while they do not have the updated figures, they originally estimated online auctions would save the county 2,600 labor hours, or $57,000, a year.
In Miami-Dade County, which also switched to online auctions, Clerk of Courts Harvey Ruvin said he redeployed 28 employees — at an average salary of $50,000, including benefits — which translates to a significant cost savings because it eliminates the need to hire additional workers.
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