Sales by Rural Development . Sales customarily will be made by Rural Development personnel in accordance with §§ 1955.114 and 1955.115 of this subpart (as appropriate) when staffing and workload permit and inventory levels do not exceed those outlined in paragraph (b) of this section. Adequate and timely advertising in accordance with § 1955.146 of this subpart is of utmost importance when this method is used. No earnest money will be collected in connection with sales by Rural Development. For MFH, this method will always be used unless another method is authorized by the Assistant Administrator, Housing.

Real estate brokers. The County Office will utilize the services of real estate brokers for regular sales when there are five or more properties in inventory at any one time during the calendar year. When real estate brokers are used, first consideration will be given to utilizing such services under an exclusive broker contract as provided for in § 1955.130 of this subpart. Only when it is determined that an exclusive broker contract is not practicable, will the services of real estate brokers under an open listing agreement be utilized. The use of real estate brokers in offices having less than five properties in inventory at any one time during the calendar year is optional provided staffing and workload permit diligent and timely sales by Rural Development. When broker services for SFH are utilized, the Rural Development office will not conduct direct sales, but will refer inquiries to the broker or list of participating brokers. However, if Rural Development has been approached by a potential buyer desiring to purchase a specific property and a sales contract has been accepted, the property will not be listed for sale with real estate brokers. Earnest money held by real estate brokers will be used to pay the purchaser's closing costs with any balance of the costs to be paid by the purchaser. Any required earnest money deposit is exclusive of any required credit report fee. Brokers may only be used for MFH with authorization of the Assistant Administrator, Housing.

Sealed bid or auction. The use of sealed bids or auctions is an effective method by which to sell inventory property. If the State Director determines that NP SFH property has been given adequate market exposure and that diligent sales efforts have not produced buyers, or under unusual circumstances as outlined in § 1955.115(a)(1) of this subpart, he/she will authorize sale by sealed bid or auction unless additional sales methods appear more prudent. Program SFH property will be sold by regular sale only, unless the Assistant Administrator, Housing, authorizes sale by sealed bid or auction. The State Director will request such authorization when all reasonable marketing efforts fail to produce buyers and the conditions of § 1955.114(a)(6) of this subpart have been met. The case file, including documentation of all marketing efforts, will be forwarded to the Assistant Administrator, Housing, ATTN: Single Family Housing Servicing and Property Management (SFH/SPM) Division, to request authority to sell program property by sealed bid or auction. The decision to utilize a sealed bid or auction must be carefully weighed when the property is located in a subdivision, since the resultant sale may have an adverse effect on surrounding property values. Detailed guidance for conducting sealed bid sales is provided in § 1955.147 of this subpart and for conducting auction sales in §§ 1955.131 and 1955.148 of this subpart.