Baltimoresun.com's new auction marketplace

We're working on a new section of our website that should launch in January. The idea is to create a marketplace for local auctions and get them exposure to a huge audience that they otherwise would not reach.

First of all, I am a huge proponent of auctions. I bought my house almost four years ago at an Alex Cooper auction. Despite doing almost everything wrong, the deal has worked out very well for me. I now have a pretty nice house in an improving neighborhood. I can walk to O's games, Ravens games, the harbor, Fed Hill bars, etc. The best part is that I'm only in for about $100k and the house is worth roughly $150k.

I want to help get these great opportunities in front of our readers who might otherwise not consider going the auction route. We will have content on the benefits of buying at auction, possibly some video as well.

But the main draw will be our comprehensive database including Alex Cooper, A.J. Billig, Auction Brokers, Express Auctions, Trac Auctions, Fox Auctions, Steve Dance Auctions, etc, etc, etc. This way our readers can do one search and see auctions from all these great companies. For more details, they can then click over to the auctioneer's web site.

We're still working on the layout, but here is a sneak peak. Any input is welcome!