gsa guide to federal government sales

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GSA Federal Cit izen Information Center

Guide to Federal

Government Sales

U.S. General Services Administration


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November 2003

Dear Consumer:

As the Federal Governments principal manager ofworkspace, products, services, and solut ions, theU.S. General Services Administration (GSA) isproud to sponsor thisGuide to FederalGovernment Sales. We believe this publicationwil l prove to be a valuable resource for our cus-tomer agencies and for you, the American taxpayer,

because it delivers the accurate information youneed to participate in the Federal Governmentsvarious sales programs.

GSA and the agencies listed in thisGuide wantyou to have the most complete information avail-able regarding our sales programs. In addition,many agencies now use their websites to providethe public with detailed information about i tems or

real estate for sale, locations, prices, and more.We have included agency website information inthis edit ion.You can also visitFirstGov.gov toget instant access to all the latest governmentsales information on one comprehensive website.

The program officials from all the sales programslisted in this publication deserve our thanks fortheir assistance and support. Their cooperation hashelped us provide you with one of the best sources

of information regarding Federal Government sales.

Stephen A. PerryAdministrator

U.S. General Services Administration


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Introduction ...................................................................................................... 1

ConsumerTips .................................................................................................. 2

Agencies with Sales Programs .................................................................... 5

Department of A griculture .......................................................................... 5

Department of Defense

Defense Reut i lization and Marketing Service (DRMS) ........................ 5

Department of Energy.................................................................................. 7

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporat ion .................................................... 8

General Services A dministrat ionFederal Supply Service............................................................................ 9Office of Property Disposal Public Buildings Service.......................... 11

Government Printing Off ice ...................................................................... 12

Department of Homeland Security

Bureau of Customs and Border Protection .......................................... 13Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.............................. 13United States Secret Service.................................................................. 13

Department of Housing and Urban Development

Office of Single Family Housing ............................................................ 13Off ice of Mult ifamily Housing Programs.............................................. 14

Department of Interior

Bureau of Land M anagement ................................................................ 15

Department of Just ice ................................................................................ 17

U.S. Marshals Service............................................................................ 17

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.......................... 17National A eronautics and Space A dminist rat ion...................................... 19

U.S. Postal Service ...................................................................................... 20

Small Business A dminist ration .................................................................. 22

TennesseeValleyAuthori ty ........................................................................ 23

U.S. Department of theTreasury

Internal Revenue Service - Criminal Investigations ............................ 24

Department of Veterans A ff airs ................................................................ 26

A Final Note ...................................................................................................... 28

Glossary ............................................................................................................ 29

table of contents


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When the Bureau of Customs andBorder Protection confiscates animported necklace, or the Departmentof Defense no longer needs a powertool, or the U.S. Marshals Serviceseizes a sports car from a drug dealer,all these items may become availablefor purchase by the public.

A lthough some surplus and forfeiteditems of the Federal Government aretransferred to other Federal agen-

cies or given to s tate and local gov-ernments, a staggering variety ofitems from vehicles to off ice equip-ment to real estate finds i ts way tothe public through FederalGovernment sales.

This revised guide is published by theU.S. General Services Administration(GSA ) in cooperat ion wi th 20 Federalsales programs. Wi th informativelist ings from each Federal sales pro-gram, combined with practical con-sumer t ips, this guide is designed tohelp you do business with theFederal agencies that sell items tothe public. This guide:

q Gives information about sales

methods and sale locat ions,q Describes items for sale,

q Lists addresses, telephone num-bers, and websites for furtherinformation, and

q Has a glossary on page 29 thatexplains the sales terminologyused by Federal agencies todescribe the types of propertyavailable and the methods bywhich it is s old.

Use this guide to contact the appro-priate government sales program.Uncle Sam may have something tosell that interests you.

A great online resource for f indingout the latest on government salesand auctions is t he Shopping andAuctions page at FirstGov.gov(www.firstgov.gov/shopping/shopping.shtml). This page takesall of the Federal Governments sales

and auctions of property, real estate,cars, souvenirs, books, and gif ts andorganizes it one easy-to-read-and-navigate page. Sales and auct ionsare broken down into eight cate-gories:

q Auctions

q Cars andTransportation

q Loans and Investments

q Real Estate

q Souvenirs/Books/Gifts

q Supplies and Equipment

q For Government and Non-Profi tBuyers

q Find Sales by A gency

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q Be wary of of fers to sell you inside information about Federal

Government sales.

Informat ion about FederalGovernment sales programs is typi-cally available for free or at low costfrom the Federal Government. SomeFederal agencies maintain mail inglists with names of people interestedin being notified about upcoming

sales. In these cases, agencies maycharge a subscription fee to maintainthe list and cover mail ing costs. Non-governmental organizations that sellinformation about these sales oftendont tell consumers that they canreceive sales informat ion just by con-tacting the agencys local or regionaloffice. You may see advertisements

offering to sell you access to l it tle-known sources of FederalGovernment property. Its likely thatthey are sell ing the names andaddresses of the Federal Governmentagencies listed in this publication. Beaware that the information sold bynon-governmental enti ties may not beaccurate or up-to-date.

q Know where to f ind current FederalGovernment sales information.

To find information about specificupcoming sales, check the classifiedor business sections of national orlocal newspapers. Some sales pro-grams may even advertise on localradio and television. Notices may also

be also posted at post off ices, townhalls, and other local and FederalGovernment buildings. Current infor-mation on sales programs is some-times published in trade journals and

periodicals, or online at the FederalBusiness Opportunities (FedBizOpps)website, www.fedbizopps.gov.

Sales information may also be listedin the Federal Register, a daily publica-tion l ist ing Federal Government activ-it ies. The Federal Registeris availableat most libraries or through a yearlypaid subscription from the Govern-ment Pr inting Office (GPO). To ordera subscript ion, call toll -free 1 (866)

512-1800. In addition, the FederalRegistercan be accessed online atwww.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html.

If you need more information than isprovided in this publication, you maybe able to obtain it by d irectly con-tact ing the local or regional of fice ofthe Federal agency that sponsors aparticular sales program. Use thispublication as a guide to identif y theparent agency of the sales program.For example, if you are interested inlearning more about the U.S.Marshals Service sales program,look under the Department ofJustice in the U.S. Governmentlis tings in the phone directories ofmajor ci t ies in your state.

If you have difficulty locating the localoff ice of a particular sales program,call the Federal Citizen InformationCenters National Contact Center(NCC) for assistance. This service,provided by GSA , can tell you thelocation of the sales office closest toyou. You can reach the NCC by call ing

toll-free 1 (8 00) FED-INFO (thats1-8 00 -3 33 -4 63 6). The NCC is open forpersonal assistance from 8:00 a.m. to8:0 0 p.m. Eastern Time, Mondaythrough Friday.

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q Do your homework before goingto a Federal Government sale orauction.

Before attending, research the

sale by contacting the sponsoringagency. Find out how and when thesale or auction wil l be held, whatbidding procedure wil l be used, andwhat special rest rict ions or unusualcondit ions apply. Its important toask what forms of payment areaccepted. Most sales require a guar-anteed method of payment such as

money order, certi f ied check, orcash. Credit cards are sometimesaccepted.A lso, look for informationprior to t he sale on the buyersresponsibili ty for property removal,inspection times prior to the sale,and zoning rules if purchasing landin an urban area. In most cases, the Invitation For Bid wil l answer

these types of questions. It is aninformational piece released by thesponsoring Federal agency that con-tains a descript ion of the propertybeing offered for sale with the saleterms and conditions. Its wise forpotential buyers to at tend severalsales to get a feel for the auctionprocess.With just a l it tle research,

you can get the information that youneed to m ake a successful purchase.

Most of the Federal agencies listed inthis publication maintain websitesthat include detailed informationabout their part icular sales program.Whenever possible, the websites forthese agencies are provided.

q Inspect the property careful lybefore buying.

Chances are you wil l not find newor unused items at Federal Govern-ment sales. A nd because the sales

items are used, the condit ion of t hegoods wil l vary. For example, someforfeited vehicles may be in excellentcondition, others may have highmileage or a stripped interior.A lthough information about the con-dit ion wil l be given, it is st il l neces-sary to inspect before you purchase.It is the buyers responsibil it y to veri-fy that the description of the itemfi ts i ts actual condit ion. Find out ifthe goods are sold as is or can bereturned. Most sales are f inal.

q Dont expect to buy a $1 yacht.

Goods in Federal Governmentsales programs are usually sold atfair market value.The bargainsthat you hear about are frequentlymythical.The $1 yacht most l ikelyhas serious problems. For example,it may not have an interior or anengine. Remember, if it sounds too

good to be t rue, it usually is. A t manysales, the items are appraised priorto the sale and will not be sold if t hebid pr ice is below what is reason-able. For example, GSA s FederalSupply Service has a pol icy to sellproperty at f air market value, andoften wil l not sell items if the bidprice is below what is reasonable.

q You will not drive away from aFederal Government sale with amilitary jeep.

In 1971, based on safety statist icsand vehicle tests, the NationalHighway Traffic Safety A dministrationrecommended that the M151 seriesvehicle not be sold to the publicbecause it is unfit for public use.Therefore, M151 series jeeps cannotbe driven. Disposal regulat ions on theM151 require that the vehicle body becrushed, shredded, or mutilated to

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prevent the jeep f rom being rebuilt.Businesses that sell the secrets ofbuying surplus military property oftentake out ent icing magazine and news-paper ads. Just send $19.95 andlearn how to buy surplus mil itaryjeeps, they say. However, theseadvertisements do not tell the con-sumer that the M151 series is unfit forpublic use and that older jeep models,such as the World War II M38, are vir-tually nonexistent today. Jeeps arenow typically auctioned at sales forscrap metal or parts.

q Know where and how to complain.

The Federal Trade Commission(FTC) works for the consumer to pre-vent f raudulent, deceptive, and unfairbusiness practices in the marketplaceand to provide information to helpconsumers spot, stop and avoid them.To file a complaint or to get free infor-

mation on consumer issues, visitwww.ftc.gov or call toll-free 1 (877)FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY:1 (866) 653-4261. The FTC entersInternet, telemarketing, identity theftand other fraud-related complaintsinto Consumer Sentinel, a secure,online database available to hundredsof civil and criminal law enforcement

agencies in the U.S. and abroad.In addit ion, the U.S. Postal InspectionService, the law enforcement arm ofthe U.S. Postal Service, investigatesallegations of mail fraud involving theU.S. mail. Deceptive advertisementsplaced in newspapers or magazineswhich use the mail for delivery, wouldfall within the Inspection ServicesFederal jurisdiction under the MailFraud Statute contained in Title 18,USC Sect ion 1341. A ddress your com-plaints to the Inspection Service viayour local Postmaster or obtain a Mail

Fraud Complaint form by calling1 (800) 372-8347.You may also send ane-mail message to [email protected] receive the form as an automaticresponse.

Other organizations that investigateand prosecute fraud include stateA ttorneys General, state and localconsumer off ices, and BetterBusiness Bureaus. If you suspect thatyou have been tricked or misled, andyou paid money for products or serv-ices that have li ttle or no value, youcan contact the above-mentioned

organizations for further assistance.They are listed in the business orgovernment l istings of your local tele-phone directory.

If you wish to comment on the salesprocess used by Federal programs oron the merchandise purchased from aFederal agency, write directly to thesponsoring agency at the addresslisted in this publication. The U.S.Postal Service and the FTC want toknow experiences you have had withmisleading advertising. However,neither the FTC nor the U.S. PostalService has jurisdiction over the pro-cedures and practices used by theagencies that sell property to thepublic.

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Department of

Agriculture

What is sold

The U.S. Department of Agriculture(USDA ) sells t rucks, ambulances,

station wagons, sedans, office equip-ment, office furniture, computers, andlaboratory items (typically micro-scopes and scales). A lthough the U.S.General Services A dministration (seepage 9) sel ls some of USDAs motorvehicles, USDA also sells vehicles atvarious f ield locat ions around thecountry.

How items are sold

Personal property is sold throughauction or sealed bid.

How sales are advertised

Personal property sales informationis advertised through notices innewspapers and Federal Government

buildings. A mailing l ist is maintainedfor the Washington, DC metropolitanarea for personal property sales only.To be placed on this mail ing list, seethe For More Information section.USDA field offices throughout theU.S. do not maintain mailing l ists.

Special restrictions/conditions

For personal property sales, USDAprohibits employees who are directlyinvolved in the sale or have used theproperty as an employee from part ici-pating in the sale. Other USDA

employees are allowed to bid. USDArequires guaranteed methods of pay-ment such as money orders, cert if iedchecks, or cash.

For more information

To learn about USDA personal prop-erty sales, look in the phone directo-ries of the major cities of your stateunder the U.S. Government listingsfor the USDA office nearest you.Most l ikely, your state capital willhave a USDA office.

Consult the USDA website atwww.usda.gov/da/property.html.

To be placed on a mailing l ist tolearn about USDA personal propertysales in theWashington, DC metro-politan area only, wri te:

U. S. Department of A gricultureOff ice of Operations CentralizedExcess Propert y Operat ion

6351 A mmendale Rd.Beltsvi ll e, MD 20705

Department of Defense

Defense Reut ilization andMarketing Service (DRMS)

The Defense Reutilization andMarketing Service (DRMS) is respon-

sible for the disposal of excess/sur-plus property received from the U.S.mil itary services. The property isturned in to Defense Reutil izationand Marketing Offices (DRMOs)

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located on or near mili tary installa-tions in the United States and in sev-eral foreign countries. Propertyprocessed through the disposal pro-gram varies in type and valuefromclothing to vehicles, from hardware toinformation technology, etc. DRMSdoes not sell real estate. Property isfirst offered for reuti lization withinthe Department of Defense (DoD),transfer to other federal agencies, ordonation to state and local govern-ments and other qualif ied organiza-tions. Information on how to obtainthis property and what is availablefrom DRMS is displayed on theInternet at www.dla.mil/drms.

Excess property that is not reuti lized,transferred, or donated may be soldto the public as surplus. DRMS man-ages the DoD surplus property salesprogram. Surplus property varies incommodities and value, depending on

what is turned in from the mil it aryservices. Once the items have beendeemed available for sale, DRMSmakes them obtainable via Usable,Scrap or Hazardous property sales.DRMS has entered into a commercialventure partnership with GovernmentLiquidation (GL) to sell usable sur-plus property.

Selling D oD Surplus Property

General sales information, salesschedules, and catalogs for scrapand hazardous property can beviewed by visit ing the DRMS web-site at www.drms.com.To request aprinted copy of the Invitation For Bid(IFB) catalog, customers may con-

tact the Customer Contact Centertoll-free at 1 (888) 352-9333 in the USor (269) 961-7197 f rom Canada.

Methods of Sales

Usable Surplus Property GLpurchases and re-sells all surplususable property (not requiring demil-itarization) in t he continental United

States, Guam, Hawaii, and PuertoRico. Sales include high-value prop-erty, such as aircraft parts, machinetools, hardware, electronics, materialhandling equipment, and vehicles.

A nyone interested in purchasing thisproperty can f ind sales information,sales schedules, and past bid resultsat http://govliquidation.com or bycontacting them at:

Government Liquidat ion (GL)15051 Nor th Kierland Blvd.,

Third FloorScottsdale, A Z 85254Phone: (480) 367-1300Fax: (480) 367-1450

GL sells property by sealed bid salesand li ve Internet auctions. Biddersmay submit electronically theirsealed bid offer via GLs website orby mail/fax.

Scrap Property DRMS conducts thesale of scrap property that is ferrousmetal, non-ferrous metal or non-metallic. Scrap property is offered at

several locations throughout theUnited States and can be offered as aterm sale lasting for a specifiedamount of t ime or a one-time sale fora specified weight. More informationregarding scrap sales can be found atwww.drms.com/sales/scrap/scrap.html.

Hazardous Property DRMS alsoconducts sales of environmentallysensiti ve material such as chemicalor petroleum products, paints, orlead acid bat teries. Certain it emsmay require onsite inspection of the

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destination facil ity prior to theaward.A dditional informationregarding hazardous property salescan be found at www.drms.com/sales/haz/haz.html .

NOTE: The sealed bid method isused for sell ing both scrap and haz-ardous property. Bidders submit theirbids by mail, fax, or via the Internet.Bids are then opened at a specificdate and time and awarded to thehighest responsive/responsible bidder.

International Sales:

International sales, also geared tobusiness needs, are for property thatis physically located outside theUnited States, A merican Samoa,Guam, Puerto Rico, or the US VirginIslands. DRMS International sellsproperty in many countries includingGermany, England, Spain, Italy,Portugal, Iceland, Japan, Korea, and

Thailand. DRMS overseas locationsuse all approved methods of sale tooffer Usable, Scrap, and HazardousProperty. The majority of the propertyoffered for sale is Non-MLI/CCLIusable property (MLI is MunitionsList Itemscontrol led by the U.S.Department of State; CCLI isCommerce Control led List Items-

control led by U.S. Department ofCommerce) and is offered on LocalZone Sales. These sales are heldthrough either sealed-bid or auction.A few sites offer retail, fixed-pricesales aimed at customers interestedin buying inexpensive items for per-sonal use. Typical retail sales propertyincludes appliances, computers,

clothing, furniture, off ice equipmentand tools. Information regarding inter-national sales can be found atwww.drms.dla.mil/drmsiw/sales/sales.html.

Department of Energy

What is sold

Off ice equipment, vehicles, furni ture,trailers, generators, instruments andlaboratory equipment, mechanicalpower t ransmission equipment, and

heavy equipment are some of theitems sold by the Department ofEnergy (DOE). The personal propertyitems for sale will vary with the salelocation. Most of DOEs real propertyis sold by the U.S. General ServicesA dministration (see page 9).

How items are sold

Sealed bids, auctions, negotiatedsales, f ixed price, and spot bids

Internet sales are available at severalDOE sites.


Sales are advert ised in FederalGovernment buildings, national andlocal newspapers, and through radio

and television announcements.

For DOE Personal Property A ssetSales information at various DOEsites, consult the DOE PropertyManagement Information website athttp://professionals.pr.doe.gov/ma5/MA-5Web.nsf/Property/Buying+Surplus+Personal+Property .

The DOE Headquart ers inWashington, DC does not maintain amail ing list to notif y prospectivebuyers of upcoming sales. However,

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some local DOE of fices may main-tain localized l ists.


Guaranteed forms of payment, suchas cashiers checks, certi fi ed checks,money orders, or cash are required.For information on addit ional restric-tions and condit ions, consult theadvert ised public sale announce-ment for a phone number to call forfur ther sales information. For per-sonal property sales, DOE prohibitspart icipation by Federal and contrac-tor employees who were directly orindirectly involved in t he determina-tion to dispose of the property forsale or participated in t he prepara-tion or presentation of the sale.Other DOE employees are allowed toparticipate.

For more informat ion

Consult the DOE PropertyManagement Informat ion website athttp://professionals.pr.doe.gov/ma5/MA-5Web.nsf/Property/Personnel+Directory?OpenDocument and cl ick on the DOEPersonal Property ManagementPersonnel Directory for informationon your local DOE f ield off ice.

A dditionally, you may contact yourlocal DOE Off ice of PropertyManagement, found in the U.S.Government listings of the phonedirectories of the major cit ies of yourstate.

Federal D eposit

Insurance Corporation

What is sold

The Federal Deposit InsuranceCorporation (FDIC) sells a wide vari-ety of assets f rom failed banks

including loans; real estate such asundeveloped land, hotels, shoppingmalls, single-family homes, condo-miniums, and apartment complexes;personal property, including comput-ers, phone systems, furniture, fix-tures, and plants; and specialty itemssuch as crystal, china, and antiques.

How items are sold

Brokers, sealed bid, and sometimesauctions


Sales are advert ised in the WallStreet Journal, trade publications forspecialized items, and the localnewspapers and broadcast media

where the sales wi ll be held.TheFDIC off ice l isted on the next pagecan also provide information onupcoming sales. FDIC does notmaintain a nat ional mailing l ist.


Special condit ions and restrict ionsare made on a case-by-case basis

and may involve veri fying low tomoderate income for buyers of cer-tain residential properties, requir ingprotection of the endangeredspecies on undeveloped property, or

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insuring proper care for a propertythat is a national historic landmark.FDIC typically does not f inancepropert ies. Guaranteed payment,such as money orders, cert if iedchecks, cashiers checks, or cash, isrequired. FDIC employees may notpart icipate in the sales.


The best way to obtain informationon FDIC auct ions and assets forsale is through the FDIC website atwww.fdic.gov.

For more information on FDIC sales,including list ings of upcoming sales,contact:

FDIC A sset MarketingDallas Field Off ice1910 Pacific Pl., Ste. 1700Dallas,TX 75201(214) 754-00981 (800) 568-9161 tol l-free

General ServicesAdministration

Federal Supply Service

What is sold

GSA s Federal Supply Service (FSS)sells a wide variety of personal prop-erty no longer needed by the Federal

Government. Items sold include cars,trucks, boats, cameras and projec-tors, communications equipment,copiers, food preparat ion and serv-ing equipment, hardware, jewelry and

collectibles, medical and l aboratoryequipment, off ice machines, off iceand household furniture, recreationaland athletic equipment, tools, andmany other i tems.

How items are sold

GSA conducts sealed bid, fixedprice, auct ion, spot bid, negotiated,or online Internet sales. It is GSApolicy to sell personal property atfair market value, and not to sellitems if the bid price is below what isreasonable. No preference is g ivento individuals or groups, includingveterans and religious organizations.

Payment is restricted to the follow-ing instruments: U.S. currency; bankcashiers check; cashiers checkissued by a Federal or State char-tered credit union; U.S. PostalService or commercial money order;travelers checks; properly endorsed

Federal, State, or local governmentchecks; Visa, MasterCard, Discover(Novus), and A merican Express.Certi fied checks and bank drafts arenot acceptable.

A personal or company check wil l beaccepted only when accompanied bya bank letter guaranteeing payment.This letter must be on bank letter-head and must state (1) that pay-ment is guaranteed, (2) that theguarantee is valid for 30 days af terthe bid opening date, and (3) that theguarantee covers the purchase ofU.S. Government personal propertyonly.The letter must include thedate, the bidders name, the amountthe guarantee is f or, date of sale, andsignature of the bank off icial author-ized to guarantee payment.TheGovernment does not provide anyform of f inancing.

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GSA Auctions online auction salesoffer electronic bidding, bids byproxy, online credit card payment,and instant feedback on a wide arrayof Federal assets and personal prop-erty.Visit www.gsaauctions.gov tosee what is of fered to the public.

Informat ion needed to purchase pre-owned GSA fleet vehicles at govern-ment auctions is available atwww.autoauctions.gsa.gov.Visi tors to the site can view the vehi-cle auction sales schedule, search foran upcoming auction by location, look

for specific vehicle models, and more.NOT E: GSA employees or spousesor minor children of GSA employees,or their agents, may not bid onFederal personal property. Employeesof another agency may bid if not pro-hibi ted from doing so by the employ-ing agencys rules or regulations.


Sales information is advert isedthrough mailing l ists for frequentpurchasers; radio, television, ornewspaper announcements; tradejournals and periodicals; and noticesin town halls, post of fices, andFederal Government buildings.Information is also available viaGSA s website at www.gsa.gov .Sales of nat ional interest are pub-lished online at the Federal BusinessOpportunities (FedBizOpps) website,www.fedbizopps.gov.


Bidders are cautioned to inspect allitems before bidding. GSA informsbidders of any known deficienciesprior to the sale, but GSA does notguarantee the condit ion of sale itemsand is not responsible for any prob-lems identif ied after the sale. For

details about other restrictions andconditions, please contact the person-al property sales office in your area.


To request information on FSS sales,write to Personal Property Sales,U.S. General Services Administrationat the local addresses listed here forthe states where you wish to buyproperty or call the listed telephonenumbers.

Washington, DC Metropolitan area:

6808 Loisdale Rd. (3FP-W )Bldg.A , Suite 2Springfield,VA 22150(703) 557-7785

Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,New Hampshire, Rhode Island, andVermont:

10 Causeway St.3rd Floor, Room 347 (2FBP-1)Boston, MA 02222-1076(617) 565-7319

New Jersey, NewYork, Puerto Rico,and Virgin Islands:

Room 20-112, Box 10 (2FBP)26 Federal PlazaNew York, NY 10278(212) 264-2626

Delaware, Maryland, Virginia (exceptWashington, DC M etropolitan area),Pennsylvania, and West Virginia:

The Strawbridges Building (3FPD)20 North 8th St.Phi ladelphia, PA 19107-3191(215) 446-5065

Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,M ississippi, North Carol ina, SouthCarolina, andTennessee:

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Peachtree Summit Building401 West Peachtree St.Suite 2600 (4FD)A tlanta, GA 303081 (877) 472-7068 tol l-free

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin(for Uti lization and Donation Support):

230 South Dearborn St. (5FBP)MS 34-6, Room 3430Chicago, IL 60604-19691 (800) 472-2886 tol l-free

Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri,Nebraska, Ohio, and Wisconsin(f or M iscellaneous Surplus Sales):

1500 East Bannister Rd. (6FBDP)Room 1102Kansas City, MO 64131(816) 823-3714

Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico,Oklahoma, and Texas:

819 Taylor St. (7FMP)Room 7A O7Fort Wor th,TX 76102-6105(817) 978-2352 or1 (800) 495-1276 tol l-free

Colorado, Montana, North Dakota,

South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming:P.O. Box 25506Denver Federal CenterBui lding 41 (7FP-8)Denver, CO 80225-0506(303) 236-7705

Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada,American Samoa, Commonwealth of the

Northern M ariana Islands, and Guam:

450 Golden GateAve.4th Floor,West Side (9FBP)San Francisco, CA 94102-3434(415) 522-2891

Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, andWashington:

400 - 15th St., SW (10FZP-0)Auburn,WA 98001-6599(253) 931-7566

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Office of Property DisposalPublic Bui ldings Service

What is sold

A s the program responsible for sell-ing a significant amount of theFederal Governments real estate to

the public, the Off ice of PropertyDisposal sells real property in all 50states, the Distr ict of Columbia,Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, andU.S.Territories in the Pacif ic.Thepropert ies vary widely in type andvalue and may include office build-ings, warehouses, industr ial f acil it ies,developed and undeveloped land, as

well as residential and commercialpropert ies that have been seized, for-feited, or foreclosed for nonpaymentof Federal taxes or loans, or for lawenforcement purposes.

How real property is sold

Sealed bid, public auction, onlineauction, or auction by mail


Sales information is advert ised innational and local newspapers, aswell as online at http://propertydisposal.gsa.gov/Property .


Information and details (zoning or

environmental condit ions) for eachspecif ic property are l ist ed in theInvitation for Bids, available uponrequest. Cashiers checks or moneyorders are generally required. Under

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special c ircumstances f inancing isavailable. GSA employees are noteligible to part icipate in sales.


Write to the Office of PropertyDisposal, U.S. General ServicesAdministrationat the local address-es l isted here for t he states whereyou wish to buy propert y or call thelisted telephone numbers.

Connecticut, Il linois, Indiana,Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan,M innesota, New Hampshire, New

Jersey, New York, Ohio, Puerto Rico,Rhode Island, Vermont, Wisconsin,and theVirgin Islands are covered by:

10 Causeway St., Room 925Boston, MA 02222(617) 565-5700 or1 (800) 755-1946 t oll-free

Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,

Kentucky, Maryland*, Mississippi,North Carolina, Pennsylvania, SouthCarolina, Tennessee, Virginia*, andWest Virginia are covered by:(*except for theWashington, DCMetropolitan area)

Peachtree Summit Bldg.401 West Peachtree St., Room 2528A tlanta, GA 30365-2550(404) 331-5133 or1 (800) 473-7836 t oll-free

Arkansas, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas,Louisiana, M ontana, M issouri, Nor thDakota, Nebraska, New Mexico,Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah,and Wyoming are covered by:

819 Taylor St., Room 11A 09Fort Worth,TX 76102(817) 978-2331 or1 (800) 833-4317 t oll-free

Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii,Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, andWashington are covered by:

450 Golden GateAve. 4th FloorEast San Francisco, CA 94102-3400

1 (888 ) GSA -LA ND t oll-free(thats 1-888-472-5263)

TheWashington, DC Metropolitanarea, including Washington, DC, andport ions of Maryland and Virginia, iscovered by:

301 7th St., SW, Room 7709Washington, DC 20407

(202) 205-2127The Off ice of Property Disposal alsocompiles a bimonthly U.S. RealProperty Sales List, which l ists currentsales of property available by state,city, or county.Youll find it by access-ing GSAs website at http://propertydisposal.gsa.gov/Property.

To obtain a free copy of the Sales Listwrite or call:

Federal Cit izen Information CenterDept. 559KPueblo, CO 810091 (888) 8 PUEBLO t oll-free

(thats 1-888-878-3256)

Government P rintingOffice

What is sold

The Government Printing Off ice(GPO) prints, binds, and dist ributesthe publications of the Federal

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Government. A s a result, the publicwill f ind used print ing and bindingequipment for sale.You may also f indoff ice furniture and businessmachines such as copiers, calcula-tors, and t ypewriters. A ll sales areconducted at t he GPO Headquarterslocated inWashington, DC.

How items are sold

Sealed bid


Sales are advert ised through bid-ders lists and the Federal BusinessOpportunties(Fed Biz Ops).To beplaced on a bidders list, see Formore information below.


Payment by cert if ied or cashierscheck only.


To learn more about personal propertysales, send a fax to (202) 512-1354 orwrite to:

Government Printing Off iceSpecialized Procurement and

Sales SectionMail Stop: MMPS710 North Capitol St., NW

Washington, DC 20401

Department ofHomeland S ecurity

Bureau of Customs and BorderProtection

Bureau of Immigration and

Customs EnforcementUnited States Secret Service

See the Department ofTreasurysection on page 24 for more informa-tion on these agencies.

Department of Housing

and Urban Development

Off ice of Single Family Housing

What is sold

When a mortgage lender forecloseson a mortgage insured by the FederalHousing A dministration (FHA ), adivision of the U.S. Department ofHousing and Urban Development(HUD), the lender may convey theproperty to HUD in exchange for themortgage insurance benefits. HUDsells the homes to t he public, non-

profi t groups, and governmental enti-ties at f air market value or at a d is-counted pr ice under special pro-grams.The acquired propert ies aresingle-famil y homes (1-4 uni ts),including townhomes, condomini-ums, or other t ypes of single-familydwellings.

How H UD Homes are soldHUD uses the competit ive electronicbid process as i ts primary method ofdisposing of acquired propert ies.Bids must be submitted online at t heHUD Home Sale website atwww.hud.gov/homes.Typically, atthe end of the offer period (usually10 days), al l the bids received on the

home are opened. HUD accepts thebid giving the highest acceptable netreturn.The winning bid is then post-ed on the HUD Home Sale website.Buyers must use a l icensed real

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estate broker to prepare and submitbids. From t ime to t ime, HUD mayuse the auction method to dispose ofpropert ies in hard to sell areas andwhere there is a large inventory ofpropert ies that have been on-handlonger than six months. HUD alsooffers propert ies on a direct salebasis to nonprofi t organizations andgovernmental enti ties under specialsales programs.


HUD provides information on avail-able propert ies via widely circulateddaily newspapers and the Internet atwww.hud.gov/homes.


HUD does not off er direct financingon its properties. However, FHA -insured financing is available throughapproved FHA lenders on many ofHUDs propert ies. Generally, HUDemployees, their relatives, and HUDcontractors are prohibited from buy-ing HUD properties.


Call 1 (800) 767-4483 to request infor-mat ion on the HUD Homes salesprogram.You may also call a part ici-pating real estate broker in yourarea. Part icipat ing real estate bro-kers are a valuable source of infor-mation and advice about HUDHomes and HUD wi ll pay the bro-kers fee. Consult the HUD websiteat www.hud.gov/homes.To readthe HUD brochure, The HUD HomeBuying Guide, which includes helpfuladvice on choosing and buying a HUDhome, visit www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/housing/hudhome/sfhhomeb.html.

5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

Off ice of Mult ifamily HousingPrograms

What is sold

When an owner of a mult ifamilyproperty (5 or more units) with aHUD-insured mortgage defaults onthe mortgage, the mortgagee gener-ally assigns the mortgage to HUD inexchange for the payment of insur-ance benefit s.When HUD becomesthe mortgagee, it can sell t he note orforeclose if t he mortgage is in

default.

Examples of these properties includemultifamily apartment projects, nurs-ing homes, assisted living facili ties,mobile home parks, and hospitals.

How items are sold

Note sales and foreclosure sales are

generally auction-type sales to thepublic and are the predominantmethod of sale. If HUD is the highbidder at the foreclosure sale, HUDbecomes owner of the property. City,state, and local public housing agen-cies have a right of first refusal topurchase HUD-owned properties ifthey can meet the sales condit ions

set by HUD. If the property is not soldpursuant to the right of fi rst refusal, i tis generally sold to the public througha competitive process, either bysealed bid, auction, or request forproposals.

HUD-held multifamily mortgage loansare usually offered for sale in poolsaccording to various criteria such as

performance status, collateral type,loan type, and geography. Biddersmust meet specific qualifications.A Bidder Information Package isavailable to all qualified bidders,

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which details the loans offered forsale and the bidding process. Theloans are sold servicing-released,without FHA insurance and, except asexpressly provided in the loan saleagreement, without any representa-tion or warranty, whether express,implied or created by operation of law.


Foreclosure sale information is avail-able on the Internet, in the WallStreet Journalevery Wednesday, andin local and regional newspaperswhere properties for sale are located.HUD also maintains a mailing l ist ofpersons and firms who have indicateda desire to be informed of all salesan Invitation to Bid is e-mailed toeveryone on the mailing list for eachproperty advertised for competitivesale.

Note sales are advertised in f inan-

cial newspapers such as the WallStreet Journaland on the Internet atwww.hud.gov/offices/hsg/comp/asset/mfam/mhls.cfm .

This site is updated as Note salesare scheduled.


Apartment projects located in areaswhere there is a need for affordablehousing are usually sold with a con-dit ion that they be maintained asaffordable housing for at least 20years. HUD does not of fer f inancingto purchase properties. HUD mayimpose deed restr ict ions to assurethat an apartment project is repairedto HUD standards and maintained asaffordable housing, generally for atleast 20 years af ter the repairs arecompleted. Some projects are soldwith a requirement that they be par-tially or total ly demolished.

Subsidized mortgage loans are soldwith protections for the tenants.

Unsubsidized mortgage loans aregenerally sold wi thout any restric-tions.


To obtain a l ist of projects currentlyavailable for sale, consult HUDswebsite at www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/msh/pd/mfplist.cfm and theWall Street JournaleveryWednesday.To get on the mailing l ist, go towww.hud.gov/subscribe/index.cfm.

For information on mortgage sales,visit HUDs website atwww.hud.gov/offices/hsg/comp/asset/mfam/mhls.cfm .

Department of Interior

Bureau of Land Management

What is sold

The Bureau of Land Management(BLM) is responsible for managingmore than 261.4 mil lion acres of pub-lic lands. Public l and is undevelopedland wi th no improvements. Most ofthe public lands are located in theWestern States and A laska.TheBLM does not of fer much land forsale because of a Congressionalmandate in 1976 to retain theselands.The BLM occasionally sellsparcels of l and under certain condi-tions.The lands are general ly ruralwoodland, grassland, or desert.

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How the land is sold

The BLM has three options for sellingland:

1) modified competit ive bidding wheresome preferences to adjoininglandowners are recognized;

2) direct sale to one party wherecircumstances warrant; and

3) competitive bidding at a publicauction.

The sale method is determined on acase-by-case basis, depending on

the circumstances of each particularparcel or sale. By law, the lands areoffered for sale at f air market value.


Land sales are l isted in local news-papers and in the Federal Register.


Sales condit ions are provided in theNotice of Sale.The BLM can sellpublic land only to U.S. cit izens orcorporations subject to Federal orstate laws. Employees of theDepartment of the Interior are notallowed to bid. No f inancing is avail-able. Cashiers check or cash isrequired.


For general BLM information, contact:

BLM Nat ional Headquarters1849 C St., NW,Washington, DC 20240(202) 452-5125.

You may wish to consult the BLM

website at www.blm.gov . You alsomay wish to contact the BLM office inthe state(s) where you are interestedin buying land. The specif ic statescovered by each off ice are listed here.

BLM - Alaska State Off ice

222 W. 7th Street, #13A nchorage, AK 99513-7599(907) 271-4418

BLM - Arizona State Off ice

222 N. Central Ave.Phoenix,A Z 85004-2203(602) 417-9504

BLM - Cali fornia State Office

2800 Cot tageWay, Suit eW-1834Sacramento, CA 95825-0451(916) 978-4611

BLM - Colorado State Office

2850 Youngfield St.Lakewood, CO 80215-7076(303) 239-3670

BLM - Eastern States Office (includesAlabama, Arkansas, Florida, Il linois,Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan,M innesota, Mississippi, M issouri,Ohio, and Wisconsin)

7450 Boston Blvd.Springfield,VA 22153(703) 440-1713

BLM - Idaho St ate Off ice

1387 S.Vinnell WayBoise, ID 83709-1657

(208) 373-3890BLM - Montana State Off ice (includ-ing Montana, North Dakota, andSouth Dakota)

5001 Southgate Dr.Billings, MT 59107(406) 896-5011

BLM - Nevada State Off ice

1340 Financial Blvd.Reno, NV . 89520-7147(775) 861-6586

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BLM - New Mexico St ate Off ice(including Oklahoma, Kansas, andTexas)

1474 Rodeo Rd.Santa Fe, NM 87505

(505) 438-7514BLM - Oregon State Off ice (includingWashington state)

333 SW First Ave.Portland, OR 97208(503) 808-6287

BLM - Utah St ate Office

324 S. State St., Ste. 301Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0155(801) 539-4021

BLM - Wyoming (including Nebraska)

5353 Yellowstone Rd.Cheyenne,WY 82003(307) 775-6015

For the BLM booklet, Can I Get FreeLand from BLM?, send a $2.00 checkor money order payable to Superintendent of Documents tothe following address:

Federal Ci tizen InformationCenter

Dept. 111KPueblo, CO 81009

1 (888) 8 PUEBLO t ol l-free(thats 1-888-878-3256)

Department of Justice

U.S. Marshals Service

What is sold

The U.S. Marshals Service (USMS)sells property to the public that has

been forfeited under laws enforcedand administered by the Departmentof Justice (DOJ) and its investigativeagencies (the Drug EnforcementA dministration and the FederalBureau of Investigation) and certainother Federal law enforcement agen-cies. More than 14,000 items of prop-erty are sold annually with gross

sales of $200 million.The property consists of both resi-dential and commercial real estate,business establishments, financialinstruments, and a wide variety ofpersonal property such as vehicles,boats, aircraft, jewelry, art, antiques,collectibles, and other personalproperty.

How items are sold

Forfeited property is sold through avariety of methods including auct ion,sealed bid, and Internet sales. Mostforfeited property is sold by profes-sional auctioneers and brokers whoare under contract to USMS. The con-tractors, usually auctioneers, sell

vehicles, boats, jewelry, art, antiques,aircraft, and other personal property.Normally, real property is sold by realestate brokers through mult iple list-ing services. Some forfeited property

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is sold by the U.S. General ServicesA dministration under an agreementwith USMS (see page 9). USMS alsooccasionally conducts sales.


Generally, forfeited property is adver-tised for sale in the classified sectionof major newspapers in the areawhere the property is located.A dvertisements for the sale of spe-cial interest items can also be foundin nat ional association and trade pub-lications, in specialized periodicals,and on the websites of USMS andsome of i ts contractors. USMS doesnot maintain a list of forf eited proper-ty for sale or a mailing list to notifyprospective buyers of upcoming sales.


The law under which USMS dis-poses of forfeited property providesno authority for donations.

DOJ employees, USMS contractors,their famil ies, and criminal defen-dants cannot bid on or purchase for-feited property.

Guaranteed payment such as cashor cert if ied check is required. Someof the sales contractors may acceptcredit cards.

Forfeited property is usually sold atits f air market value. USMS reservesthe right to reject any and all bids ina given forfeiture sale.


USMS maintains a National SellersList(NSL) that is available to the

public. The NSL is a list of USMScontractors and other Federal agen-cies that sell property to the publicfor USMS. The NSL may be accessedby consult ing either the USMS web-

site at www.usdoj.gov/marshals orthe Federal Citizen InformationCenter (FCIC) website atwww.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/fed_prog/selerlst/selerlst.htm.

You may request a copy of the NSLby calling the USMS fax-on-demandservice at (202) 307-9777. You alsomay order a copy of the NSL f romFCIC by sending your name, address,and a check or money order for $1.00payable to Superintendent ofDocuments to:

Federal Ci tizen InformationCenter

Dept. 319KPueblo, CO 810091 (888) 8 PUEBLO t oll-free

(thats 1-888-878-3256)

Contact the district U.S. Marshal whois l isted under the U.S. MarshalsService of the Department of Just ice

in the U.S. Government listings ofthe telephone directories of the majorcit ies in your state, or write:

U.S. Marshals ServiceOffice of Public A ffairsOS #3, 10th FloorWashington, DC 20530-1000

55555555555555555555

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,Firearms, and Explosives

See the Department ofTreasurysection on page 24 for more informa-tion on this agencys forfeited salesprogram.

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National Aeronautics

and SpaceAdministration

What is sold

Each year more than $400 mil lion inNational A eronautics and SpaceA dministration (NASA ) surplus andexchange/sale personal property issold to t he public.Types of propertyavailable include pr imarily computerequipment, printers, electronics, testequipment, off ice furni ture, labora-tory equipment, video equipment,computer t ape, heavy vehicles, hard-ware, aircraft parts, communicationequipment, recyclable materials suchas metal, copper wire, waste officepaper, wood pallets, aluminum cans,and much more.

How items are sold

Much of NASAs personal propertyis sold di rectly from 13 NA SA loca-tions on a fairly regular basis.However, small quantit ies of surpluscontractor inventory may be soldfrom any location nat ionwide. MostNASA surplus and exchange/salepersonal property is sold by the U.S.General Services A dministration(see page 9). However, NASA doesconduct i ts own sales at severallocat ions. NASA personal propertyis sold primari ly by sealed bid andauction.A t several NASA locations,working computers, print ers, andoff ice furniture are sold by f ixedprice sale. Recyclable property, such

as waste off ice paper and metals, isfrequently sold for a term of one yearvia sealed bid.


Sales information is advert isedonline at t he NASA surplus salewebsite, www.sale.hq.nasa.gov .

Sales are also advertised in localnewspapers.When the combinedacquisit ion cost of the property is$250,000 or more, sales are adver-tised online at t he Federal BusinessOpportuni ties (FedBizOpps) web-

site, www.fedbizopps.gov. NASAdoes not maintain a mailing l ist ofpotential buyers or their needs.


Terms and condit ions of each saleare posted and available from theGovernment sales contracting officerfor each sale. Purchasers must be 18

years of age or older. Potential pur-chasers who are currently debarredor suspended by any Federal agencycannot make purchases. Generally,NASA employees and contractorsare eligible to purchase, providedthey do not have access to NA SAproperty records and have not beeninvolved in the administ rat ion or ter-

mination of contractor inventory,maintenance, use, inspection, or sup-port of property before or during thedisposal or sale process.

Guaranteed payment such as cashor certif ied check is required. A tmany of the sales, credit cards maybe accepted.The Federal Govern-ment does not provide any form offinancing.

It is the potential purchasers respon-sibil ity to ascertain and comply withall applicable Federal, state, local,

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and mult i-jurisdict ional laws, ordi-nances, and regulations pertaining tothe regist ration, export, processing,manufacture, resale, use, or disposalof the property they will purchasefrom the Federal Government. Thepurchaser must pay for and removepurchases within the time prescribedfor each sale and cannot remove mer-chandise before payment. If the pur-chaser fails to pay for and remove theproperty by the deadline, the FederalGovernment wil l take act ion to collectdamages totaling $25 or 20% of thepurchase price, whichever is greater.


Visit the NASA surplus sale websiteat www.sale.hq.nasa.gov to obtaincontact information for sales ofNASA surplus and exchange/salepersonal property.

To report suspected f raud, waste, or

abuse in the sale of NA SA surplusand exchange/sale personal proper-ty, please contact the NASA Off iceof Inspector General tol l free at1 (800) 424-9183 or write to one of thespecific of fices listed on the NASAwebsite at www.hq.nasa.gov/office/oig/hq/hotline.html .

To learn more about personal propertysales at NASA centers or installa-tions in your geographic area, lookunder NASA in the U.S. Govern-ment list ings in the phone directoriesof the major cit ies of your state.

U.S. Postal S ervice

What is sold

The U.S. Postal Service (USPS)auctions a wide variety of i tems thathave been lost in the mail, areunclaimed, or on which an insuranceclaim has been paid. Sales of thismerchandise are referred to as mailrecovery auctions, although letters

are not among the items offered forsale.The merchandise may includeclocks, televisions, radios, taperecorders, jewelry,VCRs, and cloth-ing.The USPS also has sales pro-grams that sell excess postal vehi-cles, computers, workroom andoff ice furniture, and electronic andhardware i tems for mail handling

equipment.How items are sold

Auctions, sealed bid sales, and f ixedprice sales


Postal vehicle sales are announcedin local post off ices, newspapers,

and television advert isements.Personal property sales of excessgoods are advert ised in local news-papers and post off ices in the geo-graphic areas where sales are held.

Lost, damaged, and unclaimed goodsare sold at two sites: St. Paul, MNand A tlanta, GA . To be placed on amail ing lis t for not ices of mail recov-

ery center auctions, wri te to t heappropriate USPS off ices listedunder For more information.

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Terms and conditions of each sale areposted with sales notice information.USPS employees are permitted tobuy at personal property sales, except

for those employees directly involvedin the sales. However, USPS employ-ees are not allowed to buy at mailrecovery center auctions. Postal vehi-cle sales require payments by certi-fied check, money order, cashierscheck, or cash. A ll mail recovery auc-tion sales accept cash, credit cards,and money orders.


Due to the logist ical distance of theA tlanta and St. Paul Mail RecoveryCenters, many property sales ofexcess, lost, damaged, and/orunclaimed goods are sold via auctionor sealed bids at t he respect ive localdist rict site. Postal patrons should

contact the local postal f acil ity intheir area to obtain information onany local or dist rict sales.

For information on surplus postalvehicle sales, contact your localpostmaster by looking under U.S.Postal Service in the U.S.Government l ist ings of the phonedirectories of the major cit ies of yourstate.Your local postmaster candirect you to the vehicle mainte-nance facil it y responsible for con-ducting sales in your area.

For information on personal propertysales, write to one of the followingmaterial service centers closest toyour mailing address. Material

Service Centers (MSCs) work closelywith the district/local offices and canbe contacted to obtain information ondistrict offices, such as contactnames, addresses, phone, fax, etc.

Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho,Kansas, Minneapolis, Missouri,Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, NorthDakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah,Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyomingare covered by:

San Francisco MSC395 Oyster Point Blvd., Suite 205So. San Francisco, CA 94099-6260

Arkansas, Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana,M ichigan, New Mexico, Oklahoma,and Texas are covered by:

Chicago MSC

150 South Wacker Dr., Suit e 200Chicago, IL 60606-4100

Alabama, Delaware, Distr ict ofColumbia, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky,Maryland, M ississippi, NorthCarolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, SouthCarol ina, southern New Jersey,Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginiaare covered by:

Memphis MSC225 Nor th Humphreys Blvd.Memphis,TN 38166-6260

The New York City M etropolitan area,Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts,northern New Jersey, New Hampshire,Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and theVirgin Islands are covered by:

Windsor MSC8 Griff in Rd. NorthWindsor, CT 06095-1572

For information on damaged andunclaimed merchandise mail recoverycenter auctions held in the fol lowingcit ies, write to the off ice where youare interested in attending sales:

A tlanta Mail Recovery Center5345 Fulton Industrial Blvd., SWA tlanta, GA 30378-2400

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St Paul Mail Recovery Center443 Fillmore Ave.St Paul, MN 55107-9607

For more information on personalproperty sales or mail recovery cen-

ter auct ions, you also may wr it e to:U.S. Postal ServiceConsumer A dvocate475 LEnfant Plaza SW , Rm. 5911Washington, DC 20260-2202

Small BusinessAdministration

What is sold

The U.S. Small Business A dminis-

tration (SBA ) and its part icipatinglenders make loans and loan guar-anties to small businesses and indi-viduals who are vict ims of naturaldisasters. If a borrower defaults onthe SBA loan or guaranty, SBA or aparticipating lender may sell theproperty securing the loan. Theassets for sale may range from real

estatecommercial property, single-family homes, and vacant landtopersonal property such as machinery,equipment, furniture, fixtures, andinventory that were used in a widevariety of business operations.

The A sset Sales Program is an init ia-tive to sell SBAs owned portfol ioof loans and other assets. These

assets consist of Section 7(a) and 504guaranteed loans purchased. Privatelenders and development companiesoriginate and service 7(a) and 504small business loans with a govern-

ment guarantee for all or a portion ofthe loan. Upon default by the borrower,SBA purchases the guaranteed por-tion. It is these guaranteed port ionsas well as the lenders share that arebeing offered for sale. SBA also orig-inates and services Section 7(b) dis-aster assistance home and businessloans to vict ims of natural disasters.These will also be sold.

How items are sold

Public auction, sealed bid, sealedbidders auct ion, l ist ing with brokersor dealers, and pr ivate negotiat ion.

Auctions are open to all investorsmeeting certain f inancial quali fica-tions.


Sales advertisements depend on thesize and type of assets being sold.Classif ied and display advert ise-

ments appear in local, regional,national and international newspa-pers, and trade and industry publica-tions. Individual propert ies for saleare listed by state at SBA s websiteat www.sba.gov .The SBAHeadquarters off ice in Washington,DC does not maintain a mailing listof upcoming sales or of potential

buyers who wish to be notif ied.However, local auctioneers and someSBA district off ices may maintainlocalized lists.

Sales information for bulk loan salesis available on SBA s website atwww.sba.gov as well as throughadvert isements in the Wall StreetJournaland other nationally recog-nized newspapers throughout thecountry. SBA and i ts f inancial advi-sors also maintain a mail ing l ist ofpersons or f irms who have indicateda desire to be informed of all sales.

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Unless otherwise specif ied, all salesare as is. The buyer is responsiblefor removal. For the most part, onlycash or guaranteed payment such as

a cashiers check or certi fi ed checkis accepted.The sales advertise-ments will provide payment informa-tion.The terms and condit ions foreach sale are provided before thestart of the sale.

A ll prospective bidders should bepresent at this time, since bidders arebound by sales announcements andpublished information, and there maybe some last minute changes or addi-tions to the advertised terms. SBAhas certain quali fication standardsfor persons or enti ties interested inbidding on SBA loans. These can befound on the www.sba.gov/assetsweb page under the specif ic saleannouncements.


For individual assets, consult SBA swebsite at www.sba.gov and select Property for Sale. Then, select thestate you are interested in. Select Loan A sset Sales for the assetsales program.You also may callyour local SBA district of f ice.To f indthe district of fice nearest you, call1 (800) U-A SK-SBA (1-800-827-5722)or look for the U.S. Small BusinessA dministration under the U.S.Government l ist ings in the tele-phone directories of the major ci t iesin your state. A sk for the LiquidationChief, and specify the types ofassets you wish to buy, the generalprice range, and the geographic loca-tion in which youre interested.Tofind out how to be placed on a local-ized mailing l ist ( if there is one),contact the SBA Liquidat ion Chief in

the location where you wish to buygoods.To obtain additional informa-tion on loan sales please visitwww.sba.gov/assets or write to:

U.S. Small Business

A dministrationA sset SalesTeam409 Third St. SW , Suite 8300Washington, DC 20416

Tennessee ValleyAuthority

What is sold

TheTennesseeValley Authority(TVA ) is involved in a variety of

activi ties ranging from flood controland electric power production toforestry and wildl if e development.TVA sells both personal and realproperty, such as electrical suppl ies,heavy construct ion equipment, officefurniture and machines, vehiclesranging from heavy industrial vehi-cles to p ick-up trucks and sedans,

and undeveloped land for industr ialand recreational purposes.TVAholds approximately three to f ourauctions each year throughout theTennesseeValley.

How items are sold

Goods are sold by auction, negotiat-ed sales, or requests for offers.


Sales information is availablethrough mailing lists, newspapers,trade publications, and online at

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TVAs website at www.tva.gov/surplus. To be placed on TVA mailinglists, write to the address below. Besure to include the types of items inwhich you are interested so you willbe placed on the appropriate mailinglist.


Cert if ied check, cashiers check, wiretransfer, and personal checks with aletter of guarantee are acceptable.


Visit TVA s surplus sales website atwww.tva.gov/surplus.

Write or call:

TennesseeValley AuthorityInvestment RecoveryPO Box 2000Dixon Springs,TN 37057(615) 374-7400

U.S. Department of theTreasury

Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,Firearms, and Explosives (nowunder Department of Justice)

Bureau of Customs and BorderProtection (now underDepartment of HomelandSecurity DHS)

Bureau of Immigration andCustoms Enforcement (nowunder DHS)

United States Secret Service

(now under DHS)What is sold

The agencies lis ted above sellseized/forfeited propert y throughoutthe continental U.S., A laska, Hawaii,and Puerto Rico through EG&GTechnical Services, the nat ionalasset management contractor for the

Department of theTreasury. A widevariety of i tems are sold includingcars, boats, airplanes, real estate,carpets, electronics, industrialgoods, jewelry, computer equipment,wearing apparel, and householdgoods. It ems may be new or usedand are sold in l ots ranging from sin-gle items to wholesale quantities.

Real estate is also sold, includingsingle-famil y residences, warehous-es, retail buildings, and operat ingbusinesses, such as apartmentbuildings, gas st ations, wine stores,and golf courses.

How items are sold

Over 300 publ ic auct ions are held at

the times and locations l isted below:q Approximately every nine weeks

in Edison, New J ersey; Miami/Ft.Lauderdale, Florida; El Paso,Laredo and Edinburg,Texas; LosA ngeles, California; and Nogales,A rizona.

q Approximately every four weeks in

ChulaVista, California.q Approximately three t imes a year

in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

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q Over 100 t imes annually for realestate throughout the U.S. andPuerto Rico.

q A t other t imes and locations asmerchandise becomes available.

Real estate is normally sold on-siteat the property location; however,selected real estate may be soldonline.

Writ ten bids are accepted at a ll per-sonal property and real estate auc-tions.


A recorded message of upcomingauctions may be accessed 24 hours aday by call ing the Public Auction Lineat (703) 273-7373. Customer servicerepresentat ives are available from8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time toanswer specific questions.A one-year f lyer subscription, list ing

the items at upcoming auct ions, isavailable to the public for a non-refundable fee. Nationwide subscrip-tions for personal property sales inthe continental U.S., A laska, Hawaii,and Puerto Rico are $25. EasternRegion subscriptions for sales locat-ed east of the Mississippi River(including Puerto Rico) and Western

Region subscriptions for sales locat-ed west of the Mississippi River(including A laska and Hawaii) are $15each. Nationwide real property sub-script ions are $25. Please add $10 forforeign delivery outside the U.S.E-mail notification is available at nocharge for both personal property andreal property. Information in the f lyers

includes merchandise featured, regis-tration information, viewing andinspection opportunities, paymentmethods, and other information aboutthe sales. Flyers are mailed two to

three weeks prior to the scheduledsale date for personal property andtwice a month for real property.Upcoming auctions are also adver-tised in local newspapers and on theDepartment of the Treasurys websitewww.treas.gov/auctions/customsthree weeks prior to the sale date.

Terms of sale

A ll auct ions are open to the public.In order to part icipate/bid at auc-tions, a bidder registrat ion card mustbe f il led out at t he auction locat ion.Bidders must be over 18 years of ageand have a government-issued photoID such as a drivers license or pass-port in order to regist er. Once thecard is f il led out, a bidder numberwil l be issued. Registration is free,and catalogs are available at previewand sale locations. Auction off icialsstrongly encourage all interestedparties to preview property beforebidding. Cash, cashiers check,MasterCard,Visa,A merican Express,and Discover are acceptable formsof payment for personal propertyauctions. Cashiers check is accept-able for real property. Personal orbusiness checks, bank letters, or let-ters of credit are not acceptableforms of payment.


Employees of the Department of theTreasury, Department of HomelandSecuri ty, and EG&G TechnicalServices and their immediate fami-lies are prohibited f rom bidding onproperty/merchandise. A ddit ionally,in order to comply with theElectronic Freedom of InformationA ct A mendments of 1996 (5 U.S.C.552 (2000)), the fol lowing informationregarding the transaction shall be

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published on the U.S. Department ofTreasury auction website:

1) the registered bidders name,

2) the lot number,

3) the lot descript ion, and4) purchase price of lot.


Consult the Department of theTreasury website at www.treas.gov/auctions/customs for personal andreal property sales information.

To obtain information about the per-sonal property subscription programor general and upcoming sales infor-mat ion, contact:

EG&G Technical Services7845 A shton AvenueManassas,VA 20109Fax: (703) 361-4450Telephone: (703) 273-7373e-mail: [email protected]

To obtain information about the realproperty subscript ion program orgeneral and upcoming sales informa-tion, contact:

EG&G Technical Services7723 A shton AvenueManassas,VA 20109Fax: (703) 361-3671Telephone: (703) 273-7373e-mail: [email protected]

Department of Veterans

Affairs

What is sold

The Department of Veterans A ffairs(VA ) operates several programs tobenefit veterans and members of

their families. One of these programsis the Guaranteed Home LoanProgram. If a veteran-homeownerdefaults on a VA -guaranteed loan,the veterans lender forecloses theloan and, in most cases, VA acquiresthe property after foreclosure. VAthen sells these propert ies, whichinclude single- famli ly homes, town-

houses, and condominiums, to thepublic through its nine regional loancenters and 36 regional offices.

How VA -acquired properties aresold

Properties are of fered for sale to thepublic at f air market value and soldto the offeror whose bid provides the

highest net toVA . Offers may besubmitted through any l icensed realestate broker who part icipates in VAsales programs.These brokers cananswer questions aboutVA salesprocedures and show propert ies toprospective purchasers.

How properties are advertised

VA regional off ices advert ise proper-ties for sale to the general publiceither by direct mailings to localsales brokers or by list ing propert iesin local newspapers. Information on

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propert ies or on the program in gen-eral may also be available on regionaloff ice telephone information systemsand/or bullet in boards. Some regionaloffices have established websitesthat can be accessed through VA sVeterans Benefits A dministrationwebsite at www.vba.va.gov .


You do not have to be a veteran topurchase these properties.VA -acquired propert ies may be pur-chased by veterans, non-veterans,owner occupants, and investors.Terms and condit ions of sale, whichvary f rom property to property, areincluded in property sales l ist ings.

For more informat ion:

Consult theVA s Home LoanGuaranty Services website atwww.homeloans.va.gov .

Contact theVA regional off ice near-est you. Look for VA under the U.S.Government l ist ings in your localtelephone directory or call toll-free1 (800) 827-1000.

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The information in this publicationis accurate as of November 2003.Because the sales programsdescribed change over time, the U.S.General Services A dministrationencourages consumers to contact thesponsoring Federal agencys local orregional off ices for current salesinformation and specif ic details con-cerning the rules and condit ions ofsales. Federal agency information canbe found at FirstGov.gov .

Please note that this guide doesnot include very small and special-ized one-time sales. A lso, state andmunicipal governments may havesimi lar sales programs. Contact yourlocal government off ices for informa-tion on those sales programs.

This publicat ion was produced bythe U.S. General ServicesA dministration, Office of Cit izenServices and Communications,Federal Citizen Information Center.

GSA wishes to thank the many pro-gram off icials in Federal agenciesacross the country who gave so gen-erously of their t ime and expertise tohelp produce this comprehensivepublication.

The U.S. General ServicesA dministration Guide to FederalGovernment Salesis available forsale through the ConsumerInformati on Catalog. It is one of the

more than 200 free and low-costFederal publications listed in t hefree Consumer Information Catalog.To get your free copy of the Catalog:

q Call tol l-free, 1 (888) 8 PUEBLO.Thats 1 (888) 878-3256,

q Send your name and address to:Consumer Information Catalog,

Pueblo, CO 81009, orq Visit www.pueblo.gsa.gov to

read, download, and order theCatalogand all i ts publications.

a final note


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Types Of P roperty

Personal propertyis the term used

for all i tems other than real estate. Itincludes everything f rom off ice furni-ture to cars and jewelry. Most per-sonal property sold by the govern-ment is used, and sold as is.

Real propertyis real estate. It mayinclude office buildings, houses, con-dominiums, apartments, undevelopedland, retail stores, industrial proper-ties, and golf courses. Like personalproperty, the kind of real propertyavailable wil l vary among the salesprograms.

Confiscated, seized, and forfeitedareterms that describe the status ofproperty in the possession ofFederal law enforcement agencies.

The terms are not interchangeable.Property that is seized or confiscat-ed may be returned to a defendant orinnocent owner. If it is not returned,the property becomes forf eited andmay become available for sale to t hepublic.Therefore, advertising forFederal Government sales will usu-ally describe the property obtained

through confiscat ion and seizure, asforfeited.This kind of property issold as is and the inventory ofsales items constant ly changes.

Foreclosed propertyis sold when cit i-zens default on loans secured by agovernment agency.The property,usually real estate, is sold to t hepublic through government salesprograms. FDIC, HUD, SBA , andVAall sell foreclosed propert ies.

Excess and/or Surplus property.Federal property no longer neededby an agency is declared as excessto the needs of that agency, but maybe t ransferred to another Federalagency. Federally owned propertythat is no longer needed by anyFederal agency is declared as sur-plus to the needs of the FederalGovernment. If not transferred tostate governments, it is sold to t hepublic.

Unclaimed goodsare sold by theFederal Government when it ems arelost, abandoned, or unclaimed by thepublic.The U.S. Postal Service is theprimary agency that sells unclaimeditems, typically goods that have beenlost in the mail. USPS sells theunclaimed merchandise to t he public

through mail recovery auctions.Sales Methods

Sealed Bid. The Federal agency pre-pares an Invitation for Bid, an infor-mational sheet that contains all theinformation you need to bid on theitem. The sheet describes the proper-ty being offered for sale and includes

the terms and condit ions of sale. Ifinterested, you submit your bid to theagency, usually by mail. On the bidopening date, the bids are read pub-licly and the award is made to thehighest bidder who has correctly fol-lowed the required procedures.

Public Aucti on. The Federal agencyfollows tradit ional auction proce-dures and gives prospective buyers adescription of the property to be auc-tioned along with bidding instruct ionsbefore the auction. The auctioneerconducting the sale offers the proper-

glossary


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ty item-by-item and awards the itemto the highest bidder. When buyingthrough an auction, the buyer must bepresent to bid, unlike the sealed bidmethod, which is conducted by mail.

Internet Auctionsoffer the generalpublic the opportunity to bid electron-ically on a wide array of Federalassets. The auctions are completelyweb-enabled, allowing all registeredparticipants to bid on a single item ormult iple items (lots) within specif iedtimeframes. For example, GSAAuctions online auction sales offer

electronic bidding, bids by proxy,online credit card payment, andinstant feedback on a wide array ofFederal assets and personal property.

Sealed Bidders Auction. A salesmethod that combines aspects of thesealed bid and auction methods.Bidders submit sealed bids on theitem being offered for sale and thehighest sealed bidders are thenallowed to participate in a publicauction.The bidding st arts with thehighest sealed bid.

Spot Bid. Bidders are usually requiredto attend the sale to place their bid inwritten form. The property is offereditem-by-item, as in an auction.

However, in an auction, the bids arevoiced; with the spot bid method, thewritten form allows a one-timechance for the bidder. The highestbidder is announced publicly, receivesthe award, and the sale is made.Buyers are encouraged to be presentat the award.

Fixed Price sale. The Federal agencymarks the merchandise with a part ic-ular pr ice.The public may purchasethe items for that set price at a pub-l ic sale.The items are sold on a f irst-come, fi rst-served basis.

Negotiation. This method is oftenused when sell ing real estate.Federal agencies may negotiate indi-vidual property sales as a way to sellthe propert y. A t other times, negotia-tion may be used in special circum-stances. For example, GSA maynegotiate a sale if, after advert ising,the bid prices are not reasonable orif the specialized property is of inter-est only to a small group of buyers.Negotiation may also be used if t hecharacter/condit ion of the propertyor unusual circumstances make itimpractical to advertise publicly.Sometimes agencies appraise prop-erties to est imate their market valueand establish a l ist price. Offers onthe property are encouraged basedon the list price, with the final pricesubject to negotiation.

Broker/Individual Sale. Real propertyin government sales programs is

sometimes disposed of by using pri-vate real estate brokers to negotiatethe sale. For example, HUD uses realestate brokers in the HUD Homesales program.TheVA sales pro-gram also ut il izes private real estatebrokers when selling residentialproperti es.The U.S. MarshalsService sells the majority of its for-

feited real property through licensedreal estate brokers using multiplelisting services.

Portfolio sales.These sales occurwhen packages of real estate andloans are grouped together for saleto the public.Typically, buyers pur-chase the property as a package. Forexample, real estate may be groupedby geographic location and assetsfrom a f ailed insti tution may bepackaged by loan type.


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U.S. Government Print ing Office: 2003022-002-00120-8


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November 2003

GSA Of fice of Ci tizen Services and CommunicationsFederal Ci tizen Informat ion Center

U S General Services Administration