Phoenix-area housing auctions fast and furious

Anthony Thomas held his iPad to his chest, clutched his cellphone in one hand and used his free hand to vault over the 3-foot fence around the food court in front of the Maricopa County Courthouse. It was noon, but he wasn’t in a rush to get something to eat. He had seconds to bid on a Mesa foreclosure home that one of his firm’s clients wanted to buy. The house was one of more than 100 that lenders intended to sell at auction that day. It was one of dozens that Thomas and his team were trying to buy.