CHAPEL HILL — Homeowners Susan Roth and her husband, Philip Costanzo, had at least one thing in common with Bill Mullen, a real estate agent with Weaver Street Realty and Auction Company in Carrboro: problems with selling their property.

Roth, vice provost for interdisciplinary studies at Duke University, and Costanzo, a professor of psychology at Duke, had tried to sell their home at 806 E. Franklin St. in Chapel Hill for more than a year.

"We received positive feedback from showings, but no offers," Roth said.

Mullen had four renovated properties on Fair Oaks Road in Chapel Hill that were perfect for people seeking affordable housing but that were not moving.

"It shocked me," Mullen said. "I didn’t get a lot of feedback as to why."

So Mullen and the owners of the Franklin Street house looked into the auction process.

"It got to the point where we wanted to do something innovative," Roth said.

That quest for innovation meant turning to Christy Kimbro, a realtor for Fonville Morisey and designated agent for AuctionFirst. The auction company will host a ballroom auction at the Hilton Hotel in Research Triangle Park on Page Road in Durham on March 29 at 10 a.m. The East Franklin Street home and the Fair Oaks Road houses are among 15 Triangle properties up for sale.

"An agent in my office, Chuck Schroeder, had seen and witnessed how many properties I was able to help people sell through the auction company," Kimbro said. "He and Bill have known each other for many years and have done a lot of transactions together. Chuck suggested to him as a personal friend to give me a call and let me talk to him about auctions."

According to the National Auctioneers Association, the number of real-estate auctions rose 5.3 percent in 2007 and generated $58.4 billion in sales.

Just last summer, another Franklin Street house — Hilltop House at 740 E. Franklin St. — was listed with the auction company and sold to a buyer from Hong Kong who had never seen the place.

Mullen, Roth and Costanzo met with Sarah Sonke, president of AuctionFirst North Carolina. The company markets and sells properties at auction to qualified buyers in 30 days. That can be a relief to sellers who do not have the time, money or energy to have homes sit on the market for months, even years.

"You know the date and the time it’s going to sell," Sonke said.

A property will only be sold when the confidential reserve — the minimum price at which the homeowner agrees to sell — is reached.

Most of the homes sell on auction day, Sonke said. Qualified buyers come to the auction with a cashier’s check for the amount designated in the bid package for the desired home, listed on the AuctionFirst Web site.

To participate in the ballroom auction, homeowners pooled their money — $1,875 apiece — to fund a marketing campaign. Potential buyers and investors can view the properties online at www.auctionfirst.com.

Interested buyers who want to view a home may do so at a scheduled open house. They may bring anyone they want — a contractor, inspector, buyers agent — to inspect the property and decide what they think it is worth.

"The owners don’t have to spend a fortune fixing up the homes," Kimbro said. "They’re sold ‘as is’."

An eager buyer may even purchase a house prior to the auction event.

"When a buyer doesn’t want to compete, he’ll shut down the auction with an offer during the open house," Sonke said.

Roth and Costanzo chose their house because of its old-home feel and proximity to downtown Chapel Hill. Built in 1942, the house maintains the original hardwood floors and plaster walls. At 3,265-square-feet, it has three bedrooms and three bathrooms, including a separate apartment over the garage. The apartment was perfect for their son and Roth’s mother in later years.

With children or parents no longer at home, Roth and Costanzo decided to downsize.

"We didn’t want a big house, taking care of the outdoors," Roth said. "As we get older, we long more and more for the urban life."

The couple listed the house with an agent in January 2006.

"It’s not the kind of house people look for in that price range," she said. "It’s more of a ‘niche’ house in this area."

Mullen bought the four beat-up rental properties on Fair Oaks Road with the intent of renovating and selling them. The houses, built in 1985 on 1-acre lots, are between 1,080 and 1,150 square feet. Mullen installed bamboo flooring, new appliances in the kitchens and tile in the bathrooms. He built wraparound porches and replaced the roofs and gutters.

Mullen expected the houses would be perfect for first-time buyers looking to live within the Chapel Hill Carrboro City School District.

"I wanted to help the community get more affordable housing," Mullen said. "The neighborhood needed some housing help."

Mullen priced the homes at $189,000 and put them on the market in September 2007. Since then there have been only 10 showings and no offers.

Mullen is excited about the attention the auction will bring to his houses.

"I don’t really have anything to lose," Mullen said. "I don’t really have anyone looking at them."