My Real Estate Blog

A builder's misfortune can become a remodeler's Maytag at the Southern Sales auction — the place to go for furnishings and appliances once destined for houses that are not going to get built.

Since 1992, Southern Sales Services in Jessup, Md., has been giving manufacturers and distributors a way to turn excess inventory into cash, holding auctions that attract homeowners and small contractors. In these hard times, business is booming.

The company's warehouse sales have grown dramatically — from less than 100 bidders at a typical event in the early years to more than 1,000 today. More than 30,000 people are on the mailing list. During a Southern Sales auction, three auctioneers all chant bids simultaneously in the different "departments" of the warehouse.

Every four to six weeks, Southern Sales hosts auctions that draw enthusiastic crowds. The buyers are eager to purchase brand new appliances, cabinetry, flooring, windows, doors, whirlpool tubs and other items for nearly half of the retail cost.