U.S. Government foreclosed homes occur when a debtor has not repaid a loan or lien and the government takes the property and sells it at auction. If you are considering buying a foreclosed property, there is a range of government foreclosure homes for sale from a number of federal agencies.

In addition to homes available through the U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) when a borrower defaults on a loan from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for failure to pay taxes, other agencies with government property foreclosure listings include:

Department of Veterans Affairs (VA): The VA acquires properties through defaults on VA guaranteed loans. Contact a local estate broker for listings of VA foreclosures for sale in your area; you can also find property listings on the Internet.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Rural Development: USDA/Rural Development properties include single and multi family housing and lots. You can search the Homesales.gov Website for listings. When you find a government foreclosure, contact the local USDA/Rural Development servicing office – available on the home’s description Web page – to get information regarding the status of the home as well as your eligibility for potential program benefits.

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC): FDIC sells a wide variety of real estate, including properties in the affordable housing program. The listing of FDIC foreclosures is available through its Website where you can search by property location, type, market value and qualifying condition. The database is updated weekly.

U.S. General Services Administration (GSA): GSA sells properties the government has seized, confiscated, foreclosed or no longer needs. GSA sells the properties by auction and sealed bid and each bid requires a deposit. The sale goes to the highest bidder at or above fair market price. GSA issues the U.S. Real Estate Sales List on a bimonthly basis.