Elena Vega recently attended the auction of the historic Guitar Mansion in Columbia, Mo., with the intent to just watch as a spectator. She left shortly thereafter as the new homeowner of the six-acre Civil War-era home, which was built way back in 1862.

Apparently, she simply could not pass on the ridiculously low $155,000 price tag, considering it was purchased and renovated as recently as 2002 for $750,000.

Talk about a steal.

Now the unlikely owner just needs to decide what she wants to do with it. She knows one thing for certain: “Leveling” her small slice of history is not an option:

“I just came to take photos. I love to see historic homes…. It’s my dream to live in an historic home; I just don’t know if I can afford it.”

The Guitar Mansion was built by David Guitar who, according to an article from the Missourian, “held Southern sympathies during the Civil War for his family of 10 children.”

Since that time it’s been used by author Ward A. Dorrance as inspiration for his novel, “The Sundowners,” and the long-time residence of the McCaleb family, who lived there from 1956 to 1997.

It was most recently used as a bed and breakfast, but the new owners had to close the doors in 2007 after the bank foreclosed on the property.

Now it’s time to write a new chapter. And it seems as though Elena Vega is the right person to author the script.

Get ready Missouri, Ohio, Utah and Wisconsin deal seekers:

RealtyBid.com, which has sold more than 25,000 foreclosed homes to investors throughout the nation in recent years, has more than 400 bank-owned properties hitting the auction block from Jan. 22 to Feb. 2, 2010.

It’s a 12-day super sale with inventory from one major lender. These properties MUST be sold!

Check out what’s available (For complete details click here):

• Missouri (CLICK HERE)
• Ohio (CLICK HERE)
• Utah (CLICK HERE)
• Wisconsin (CLICK HERE)

It’s a 12-day super sale with inventory from one major lender that has RealtyBid.com Executive Vice President Mike Keracher very excited for homebuyers/investors in the area.

Here’s a snip:

“As always, we have discount properties from around the country available on our website. However, one specific lender we are working with has supplied us with dozens of Ohio, Utah, Wisconsin and Missouri foreclosures to auction. This is a banner opportunity to buy homes in these states at unbelievable prices.”

All inventory will be auctioned at the lowest possible prices.

Remember that you have to submit your bids online. So head over to RealtyBid.com right now and familiarize yourself with the bidding process while you zero-in on the property that’s right for you.

Bidding is safe, easy, and compliant with all legal regulations. And you don’t have to be an experienced real estate expert to purchase a property.

To check out the homes for sale at the upcoming foreclosure auctions in Missouri, Ohio, Utah and Wisconsin, as well as to see when RealtyBid.com will auction homes in your area, click here.

Good luck!

Five states, six days.

This weekend signals the start of huge opportunities for house hunters and investors in the Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio markets looking to take advantage of the best real estate deals in their areas.

REDC, one of the nation’s most reputable and successful real estate auction companies, will conduct public foreclosure sales from Saturday (Oct. 10) through Thursday (Oct. 15).

That’s right: Six consecutive days of super sales on condominiums and townhomes, as well as single- and multi-family properties.

All told, 342 properties combined must be sold in less than one week. It’s the reason bids can start as low as $500 — everything must go!

Here are the locations (For complete details click here):

• Oct. 10 — Hyatt Regency O’Hare
• Oct. 11 — Indianapolis Marriott Downtown
• Oct. 12 — The Seelbach Hilton Louisville
• Oct. 13 — Renaissance St. Louis Grand & Suites
• Oct. 14 — DoubleTree Hotel Springfield
• Oct. 15 — Kansas City, Missouri Convention & Entertainment Facilities

Remember that you can bid in-person or online.

The process is safe, easy, and compliant with all legal regulations. And you don’t have to be an experienced real estate expert to purchase a property.

To check out the homes for sale at the upcoming foreclosure auctions in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio, as well as to see when REDC will be coming to a city near you, click here.

Good luck!

We hope that you take advantage of these rock-bottom prices and easy financing at today’s low interest rates while they last!

For more click here.

Curtis Sleeper and his cave-dwelling family appear to have found a way to remain in their one-of-kind 15,000 square foot home inside a Festus, Mo., cave.

Associated Press reports that a 15-year low-interest mortgage contract has been offered to help the Sleeper’s extend their stay indefinitely, which is of course cause for celebration.

Here’s a snip from Mr. Sleeper on the positive development:

“We’re excited about it. We’re throwing a party at a friend’s cave…. It’s certainly been almost life changing — except I’m keeping my cave, so not that life changing. I’d love to hear the end of the story read, ‘and they lived happily ever after.’”

It sounds like it will. And he more than likely has himself to thank for it after an impressive local grassroots public relations effort turned into a major national story.

Indeed, his initial listing on eBay to sell the home, which is situated on a scenic three-acre lot, at a starting bid of $300,000, as well as his heartfelt story behind its creation, was an Internet and cable news sensation.

For more details on the amenities and all the blood, sweat and tears that went into building “Cave House” be sure to check out Sleeper’s very detailed Web site right here. And to check out the eBay listing go here.

But be sure to do it fast before the Sleeper’s spelunk back into the cozy confines of their cave and return to relative obscurity.

Here’s something we don’t see too often … nor will we likely ever see anything like it again.

Curtis Sleeper and his family have been building a one-of-kind 15,000 square foot home inside a cave in Festus, Mo., since 2003. However, he has recently listed his labor of love, which is situated on a scenic three-acre lot, on eBay.com for a thrifty starting bid of $300,000 because he no longer has the financial means to hold on to it.

Here is his reason for selling:

“We never considered an economic bomb to hit the country at the same time as our balloon note.”

That “balloon note” expires on May 1, 2009, which means that Sleeper and Co. now have 90 days or less to find a solution. Here are the options as he describes them:

1. Pay the previous land owners for the balance owed for the property, partially finance the purchase or investment in our property.
2. Sell our property and new house for as much as we can then pay off the balance owed for the property. Start a new adventure.
3. Hand over the property to the previous owners and lose 100 percent of our equity in the property and our total life savings.

The former sand mine is about as deep as a football field (100 yards) that has been split into three “chambers.” The front chamber is the living area with three bedrooms; the middle chamber is for storage and laundry facilities, as well as features a spare bathroom; and the third chamber is an open area with a stage where “Ted Nugent, Bob Seger, Ike and Tina Turner, the MC5 and many other bands performed.”

That’s because the “Cave House” used to be called “Cave Land” back in the day. It was once used as a concert venue, as well as a skate park.

Now it’s a house … for sale.

It’s a very interesting story that has captured major media attention recently for obvious reasons. To check out a video segment on ABCNews.com on the “Cave House” click here.

For more details on the amenities and all the blood, sweat and tears that went into building “Cave House” be sure to check out Sleeper’s very detailed Web site right here. And to check out the eBay listing go here.

Sleeper mentioned that he is close to securing the necessary $83,000 in financing needed to remain in the “Cave House” and is hopeful that his domestic spelunking “adventure” will continue.

We’ll pass along status updates on this situation as it unfolds.

Location: Platte County, Missouri
City: Parkville
Price: $369,900
Zestimate: $458,613
Difference: $88,713

This four-bedroom, four bath home is located in the suburbs outside Kansas City. This is a great home at a great price for a family who needs a little extra space with more than 3,000 square feet with which to work.

Note: Other comparable listings in this neighborhood range from $256,563 up to $471,402. For more property details or to talk to a local real estate agent/broker about this listing CLICK HERE.

To check out some of the other “Deals of the Day” feel free to visit our archive.

What’s the deal of the day? We comb through our nationwide database of more than 1.2 million distressed real estate listings to showcase some of the best investments available on our Web site each morning. These listings represent just a small fraction of the amazing investment opportunities available at Foreclosure.com. To find more bargains like the one pictured above search Foreclosure.com or sign-up for FREE Email Listing Alerts.