[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...