If the sun seems a little brighter lately, there may be a reason for it. For the first time in well over five years, the Dow is finally back above the 14,000 level, where it was in October 2007, just before our economy hit the biggest air pocket since the Great Depression. During the crash, assets of all types seemed to go into a free fall -- stocks, homes and commercial properties. People watched as their retirement accounts fell to a fraction of their former value.

But just in the last few weeks, we've seen the Dow climb back above 14,000. I don't want to overstate the impact of that, because the Dow isn't the best indicator of where the economy is. But it has a major psychological importance, because it's still the indicator the press mentions most. And getting above a barrier like 14,000 can give folks a lift. After well over five years -- at least by that measure -- we're finally clear of the horrendous downturn.

And we're seeing positive signs in the real estate market, too. In January, home prices -- as measured by the Case-Shiller Index -- showed the biggest year-over-year gain since before the crash. The National Association of Realtors reports that sales of vacation homes were up 10.1% in 2012, and the median price of a vacation home rose by 24%. When people get scared, luxuries like vacation homes get hit first. So when beach homes and condos start to recover, it means people are feeling pretty good about things.

As I've noted recently, we've been seeing signs of the upturn in our auctions. Our series of five auctions in late March demonstrated the strengthening economy in a dramatic way, as we had capacity crowds and vigorous bidding all over Georgia. Ultimately, the total reached $17.5 million, as hundreds of bidders purchased homes, commercial properties and land to position themselves for a stronger economy.

The economy is notoriously difficult to predict, so it's hard to tell what's ahead. But all the momentum seems to be positive right now, and there are a lot of opportunities ahead. Our buyers know that those who prepare now by accumulating assets will be miles head in the months and years to come.

When it comes to money managers, you can't find anybody who commands more respect than Howard Marks, chairman of the Oaktree Management Group, which manages $77 billion. How well respected is he? Let's put it this way: Warren Buffett says that when he gets a memo from Marks, it's the first thing he reads.

So I was interested in the recent Barron's cover story saying that "Marks and his Oaktree cohorts are enamored of commercial real estate." In fact, they've made a $5 billion commitment to the commercial real estate sector. Among other things, they're finishing projects and buying distressed properties, especially in small-to-medium size markets.

In other words, they're doing a lot of the same things as the people who show up at a John Dixon auction to bid on restaurants, office buildings, shopping centers, warehouses and other properties.

And we have a lot of commercial properties to sell in the next few weeks. On April 10, we'll sell a 21,000-square-foot office/warehouse in Rome, a couple of strip shopping centers in Stockbridge, two commercial office buildings in Newnan, and a 10,353-square-foot commercial office building in Newnan.

The next day -- April 11, in Pensacola -- we'll be selling about 30 properties, including a restaurant that formerly was the home of the well-known Wintzell's Oyster House. That sale will also feature commercial tracts in Panama City Beach, a car wash in Santa Rosa, and other commercial properties.

The following week, we'll have two more sales that feature some excellent commercial properties. On April 16, in Braselton, we'll sell an office warehouse in Winder and some nice commercial lots in Bogart. On April 18, we'll have two former day care centers and a number of other commercial properties.

When it comes to investing in real estate, the folks in Chicago get it. And those who turned out for our two-day FDIC Chicago auction got some great deals on homes, condominiums, office condominiums and other real estate that should produce excellent returns in the next few years. 

Over two days, we had about 240 attendees, including 122 who came to bid in person. Another 36 participated online.  We sold 79 out of the 81 properties offered. Most of those -- 74, in fact -- were residences and commercial properties. As I'd noted when we first announced the auction, this sale consisted heavily of improved residential and commercial properties.

Across the board, the properties sold for prices that afforded the bidders with some excellent values. While many real estate prices have been firming up for several months, they're still at levels that enable investors to earn excellent returns, and we had a number of properties that were ideally suited to the needs of smaller investors, who figured prominently in the auctions.

Let's face it: When it comes to any investment, half the battle is buying at the right price. For a smaller investor, that means finding a property within your means. But whether you're investing $50,000 or $5 million, it also means investing at a level where the rental income provides a suitable rate of return, or at which you'll be able to make a profit down the road. 

Our auctions of bank-owned properties during 2012 have presented just those types of opportunities. Bidders have been acquiring properties at prices that won't last forever. At the same time, crowds at our auctions have been growing, resulting in solid results for the financial institutions and others for whom we're helping reduce inventories.  

We've had great year, and it's given me a lot of satisfaction to help our sellers reduce their holdings while providing avenues for investors to build portfolios that will make them a lot of money. I have every confidence that 2013 will bring more of the same.

I'm excited about our upcoming auction of 100 properties for the FDIC in Chicago. There are a lot of great investment homes in this group for those who might be seeking an income property.  Here's the release about the FDIC sale in Chicago.

As we move into the holiday season, I know a lot of folks will be taking vacations and spending time with family. But we're already hard at work lining up auctions for the new year. January and February can be an excellent time for an auction as people are returning from the holidays, charged up about the new year and looking for opportunities.

FDIC to auction Chicago-area residential and commercial properties

CHICAGO, Ill. (Nov. 14, 2012) -- Bank-owned homes, duplexes, multi-unit residences and commercial properties in the Chicago area will be among approximately 100 properties set to be auctioned by the FDIC on Dec. 8-9.

"This will be an excellent time for individuals seeking homes for themselves or their family members, or for real estate investors who are seeking to add to their portfolios of investment properties," said John Dixon, president of John Dixon & Associates, which will conduct the auctions.

"Most of these properties are unoccupied and present excellent opportunities for creating an income stream, or in some cases for renovation and resale," said Dixon.

One of the highest profile properties is a single family residence on Bosworth Avenue, in the Lake View Oscar subdivision. "This is a very upscale home that is only nine years old, located in a high-demand area. We also have some attractive commercial properties, including a property with a car wash and two restaurants, a couple of bank branches, and some office condominiums," said Dixon.

The first event, at which the FDIC will auction approximately 60 properties, will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 8. The second event, at which approximately 40 properties will be auctioned, will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 9. Both will be conducted at the Marriott Chicago Midway, 6520 South Cicero Ave.

Chinese and Spanish translators will be available both days.

Dixon said investors who had shied away from real estate since the credit crisis are now returning. "By virtually any yardstick, real estate is gaining strength, with home sales, construction and prices beginning to establish a clear uptrend. That means, of course, that those who delay too long will probably find themselves paying more," he said.

John Dixon & Associates, based in Marietta, Ga., is a leading auctioneer of bank-owned properties throughout the United States. Individuals seeking additional information may contact the firm at 770-425-1141 or visit www.johndixon.com.

 I've been involved in lots of successful auctions in my time, but the three-day auction we conducted last week (described in the press release below) was special by any standard. The turnout was outstanding, and the seller was pleased with the results.

It also reinforced my view that the real estate market is bouncing back, perhaps more quickly and strongly than people realize. We had a lot of perceptive bidders who understood that the best time to buy is at a low point in the cycle. But they could also sense that the bargains they've seen for the last couple of years won't continue indefinitely, and they wanted to build their portfolios while they can.

Smart bidders!

John

Hundreds of bidders turn out for $8 million auction of bank-owned properties

GAINESVILLE, Ga. (Oct. 22, 2012) -- Bidders showed up in Gainesville by the hundreds last week for a three-day auction of approximately 175 properties, including office buildings, land, restaurants, homes and home building sites, among others.

The result was a combined total exceeding $8 million, according to John Dixon, president of John Dixon & Associates, which partnered with the Metro Brokers Bank Asset Team for the auction for Community Bank & Trust.

"We expected a strong turnout because of the variety and quality of the properties we were selling, but this was frankly a stronger turnout than even our optimistic estimates. It was three days of pure excitement," said Dixon.

Ronald Gailey, assistant vice president-special assets for the bank, said he was pleased with the outcome. "We achieved our goals and then some. The folks at John Dixon and Metro Brokers Bank Asset Team did an excellent job. Crowds were great, and bidding was vigorous across the board," he said.

Over the three days, the auction drew approximately 550 bidders -- 250 who jammed into the room for live bidding and another 300 who joined the auction via Internet simulcast and cast their bids remotely. And those numbers do not include those who attended on more than one day, Dixon said. "Many came all three days, but are only counted as one bidder. We had standing room only crowds all three days."

 On Tuesday, a group of properties in the northeastern corner of the state sold for approximately $3 million. On Wednesday, properties spread out over north Georgia sold for approximately $2 million, and on Thursday, properties stretching from Rome to Augusta sold for another $3 million.

John Dixon & Associates, based in Marietta, Ga., is a leading auctioneer of bank-owned properties throughout the United States. Individuals seeking additional information may contact the firm at 770-425-1141 or visit www.johndixon.com.

The local Chamber of Commerce may not have been thrilled when the S&P/Case-Shiller Index pointed out that Atlanta was the only city in its 20-city composite with a double-digit negative annual return on home prices, but real estate investors should welcome the news.