The Week in Real Estate is a column from Mark Wellborn of UrbanTurf, a local blog and newsletter that covers the residential real estate scene in D.C., MD, and VA.

Auctions usually bring to mind a motor-mouthed auctioneer, a frenetic bidding process, and such tight competition between bidders that the actual prize up for grabs can take a back seat to winning.

Condo auctions, like the one held this past weekend in Rockville, veer slightly from this format. While the energy and pace at these property sales is by no means dead, the audience is certainly more conservative than at auctions where a 1969 Mustang is on the block. The bidding is orderly and people are usually very polite to one another.

This level of courtesy isn’t likely illustrative of a new era of politeness in the property auction world, though. Rather, it seems to be indicative of an understandable cautiousness among today’s bidders — even if the condo up for bid is available for half price, it may still not be worth it in this market.

Are you thinking about taking advantage of the current bleak marketplace by snagging a condo at auction? Read all about my experience at a condo auction here and here.

Photo by brandonwu