Federal Auction Due Diligence Checklist: Title Search, Liens That Survive, Inspection and the Occupancy Check (2026)
A federal sale compresses due diligence into the days between the notice and the deadline. This checklist is ordered the way the risk arrives: title, liens, inspection, occupancy, money, redemption. Every item starts from a row on the wire and ends on the seller's page or at the county recorder.
- 2,571 rows on the wire as of October 20, 2026, 2,369 with a verified address or parcel to start a title search from.
| Date | Type | Source | Property (due diligence checklist) | ST | Price / bid | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-01 | REO | HUD Home Store | 2045 Arlington Ave | NM | $377,000 | verified |
| 2026-10-01 | REO | Freddie Mac HomeSteps (REO inventory) | 583 Mapleleaf Lake Cir Utica | KY | — | verified |
| 2026-10-01 | REO | Freddie Mac HomeSteps (REO inventory) | 1004 W Willow St Walla Walla | WA | — | verified |
| 2026-10-01 | REO | HUD Home Store | 11875 State Route 131 | KY | $100,000 | verified |
| 2026-10-01 | REO | HUD Home Store | 2527 Sierra Sage St | NV | $270,000 | verified |
| 2026-10-01 | REO | Freddie Mac HomeSteps (REO inventory) | 574 Lock Seventeen Rd Se Gnadenhutten | OH | — | verified |
due diligence checklist: 6 of 2,571 rows, October 20, 2026.
Title and liens
Pull the recorded documents for the parcel: mortgages, judgments, tax liens, HOA liens, code liens. Federal sellers convey their interest; senior liens and some junior ones survive. The notice lists what the seller knows; the recorder lists what exists.
Inspection and occupancy
Attend the published inspection or accept you are buying blind. Drive the property; occupied homes mean eviction after closing. Utility status, permits and code violations are a phone call each.
Money and timing
Deposit amount and form, payment deadline, premium if any, closing costs, holding costs through any redemption period, and the refinance plan if you bought with cash or hard money.
More due diligence checklist rows seen on the wire
2026-09-25: HUD Home Store listed 13700 Lakeshore Dr, TN at $220,000. 2026-09-25: HUD Home Store listed 226 West Grand, MI at $34,000. 2026-09-25: Freddie Mac HomeSteps (REO inventory) listed 18309 El Greco Drive Edmond, OK. 2026-09-25: HUD Home Store listed 6107 Edith Stephens Dr, FL at $280,000. 2026-09-25: Freddie Mac HomeSteps (REO inventory) listed 22335 South 211th Way Queen Creek, AZ. 2026-09-25: HUD Home Store listed 45 Blue Jay Cir, KY at $205,000.
due diligence checklist: questions
Which liens survive a federal sale?
Generally liens senior to the government's interest, and property tax. The notice and a title search are the only reliable answer per property.
Can I back out after winning?
You forfeit the deposit. Due diligence happens before the bid.
Does DLRadar provide title reports?
No. The wire links the seller; the title search is yours or a title company's.
What are the newest due diligence checklist rows on the wire?
2026-10-01: HUD Home Store listed 2045 Arlington Ave, NM at $377,000. 2026-10-01: Freddie Mac HomeSteps (REO inventory) listed 583 Mapleleaf Lake Cir Utica, KY. 2026-10-01: Freddie Mac HomeSteps (REO inventory) listed 1004 W Willow St Walla Walla, WA.
How many due diligence checklist rows carry a published figure?
For due diligence checklist, 1,655 of 2,571 rows show a figure, and 916 due diligence checklist rows show a dash.