[planteen]

Are houses ever sold in auctions in France? How long are typical houses on the market? It seems in this situation that you would start the house price high and then lower it over weeks/months until you get an offer.

In the US, sometimes houses are priced "low" intentionally and the listing agent says something like "offers will be accepted until noon Monday" to encourage over asking, all cash offers, and waiving inspections.

Sometimes, houses are also sold at auctions in the US. This is common for foreclosures and seizures, for example.

[wtvanhest]

IMO, over the long-run, the market always wins. You cannot randomly change an unimportant technical detail and actually impact the long-run pricing. The type of mechanism that is described where you must take the price offered has so many drawbacks, like... how do you handle contingencies, etc.

[foota]

Are you familiar with auction theory? The conditions for the auction can significantly change the optimal bid.

[victorNicollet]

There are auctions, but those follow an entirely different set of rules. You have a few weeks to visit the property, then you either mail in your bid or come to the auction house on the final day. Most of what you'll see in those auctions is being sold for legal reasons (such as bankruptcy).

http://www.notaires.paris-idf.fr/immobilier/ventes-aux-enche...