The question is why would a bank want to have private lists for not many to see when they are trying to sell it for the most amount that they can get? Now I can see that they may not want to use realtors to avoid those fees but you would think they would still try to get the word out what they have for sale with signs, paper ads, their website, etc. Of the foreclosures that I have seen in my town, they pretty much all used realtors to sell them but I know that varies. One word of caution that I would ad when it comes to foreclosures, especially older houses is you are better off using extra due diligence when it comes to making sure everything in the house is working properly and in good condition because I have seen people really let go of properties once they know they are in financial trouble and the house gets run down fast. It doesn't do much good to save $10K on house if you find out you need $15K of repairs 3 months after moving in.