Grapevine

By PAUL GRAY/

GOING, GOING . . . Thanks to flattening real estate prices, more desperate homeowners are putting their property up for auction. Bargain hunters often get so caught up in the frenzy of bidding that prices can match or exceed the expectation of sellers. This year some $20 billion worth of houses are expected to be gaveled down, roughly twice the total of a year ago.

With reporting by DAVID ELLIS