How does the county auction off property?

QDoes the county publicly auction off all property claimed? There was a property I was expecting to be publicly auctioned, as custom in other counties, but I then noticed a private real estate agent had it listed. Why is that? — Buyer, Imperial Valley

AImperial County Public Information Officer Rebecca Terrazas-Baxter said the Imperial County Public Administrator has authority to sell, acting as personal representative of the estate, speaking of real property. The Imperial County Public Administrator investigates and administers the estates of persons who die with no will or without an appropriate person willing or able to act as administrator; therefore, pursuant to California Probate Code 7660-7666, if there is real and/or personal property within the estate, the Public Administrator manages the sale of the assets.

The Public Administrator uses GovDeals. com (an internet auction service) to sell most of the personal property that they are authorized to sell. Most of the real property is sold through a licensed real estate broker after filing a Notice of Proposed Action. Prior to a real estate sale, the Public Administrator publishes a legal notice in a local newspaper. Anyone interested in a property should contact the Public Administrator’s office at 442-265-7000. The majority of the Public Administrator’s real estate sales are for properties in outlying areas of the county, such as, Ocotillo, Salton City, Bombay Beach and Niland.

Having a broker who is available to meet with prospective clients has proven to be beneficial to the estates since the properties are listed on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) and available to every realtor in the area.