Government and bank foreclosed properties offer a wide array of affordable homes waiting for deserving owners to live in. These are previously owned homes whose owners were not able to fulfill their obligations with lenders and thus have forfeited their right to these assets.For someone planning to buy such homes, choices can run to the thousands. From small homes, apartments, duplex units or what have you, the number of these properties put up for auction can be overwhelming. Because of this, getting the best deal out of public sales of these properties could be next to impossible. Why? 1. You may have just about the right money to buy a distressed home but there could be others out there at even better bargains. 2. An ideal property for you was just put up for auction, unfortunately you were scouting elsewhere. Fortunately, listings database carry a distressed home list for the smart buyer.Make Shopping for Your New Home EasyA distressed home list contains a ton of useful information on foreclosed properties and similar assets that have been lined up for auction by lenders. From the size, location, condition and build of these homes, these listings are a one-stop shop for anybody planning to buy a foreclosed home. They also calendar upcoming public sales, including those that are canceled, which can sprout up just about any day on a short notice and easily catch an uninformed buyer off guard.Win Public Sales with That Extra Know-HowThis is what makes a distressed home list a very useful tool. It widens buyers choices and options without them having to sweat for these intangibles. At a home buyers convenience, a click of a mouse at that, he or she is easily armed with most up-to-date information on potential buys. Remember, since most foreclosed properties are sold at less than half of what they are worth in the market, a number of buyers are sure to swarm auctions for such homes. As such, having that extra edge, whether through additional knowledge on a piece of propertys actual condition or state, could go a long way in these transactions.