Delores Conway, director of USC's Lusk Center for Real Estate, said the auctions also give would-be buyers a great chance to check out homes beforehand and then to get a sense of what others are willing to pay for them. A small handful of recent auctions in Southern California have included properties in Southwest Riverside County, but the one earlier this month was the first to be held locally. Several real estate experts interviewed last week said it would be only a slight exaggeration to call it the tip of an iceberg.
