You need to do your homework before considering buying a home at auction.
The requirements for someone able to auction real estate vary widely from state to state. When I say “widely”, I mean that like night and day.
Here in the Midwest the norm is 10% down the day of the sale, and the balance within 30 days. Meaning you have to be pre-approved, or a cash buyer.
Foreclosure and tax sales are very difficult placed to get a good deal because of the “Trump University” type hype that tell people they can buy houses for $10,000 and ‘flip’ them in a month for $100,000. BS
You can get some good deals on houses sold at auction to settle estate. A lot of that is the uncertainty of people combined with the nearly-cash requirement. We sold a nice little house on a double lot in a small town that I’d be happy to live in for $40,000. My brother bought a modern(ish) house in a rural subdivision for, I think, around $65,000 just a few years ago. I think his house if probably valued around $110–130,000 on today’s market.
You just have to be very diligent about knowing the laws, making sure the house is solid, and nailing down the financing before hand. The bank should go a long way toward keeping the deal honest in the process of pre-approving you for money. The bank can/should run a check for liens. A home inspection is a service you pay a professional for.
I paid for a home inspection and later realized that the inspector was a personal friend of the owner and the inspector failed to check things as small as if the ceiling fans worked, and as big as if the basement leaked. I never did find out if I had recourse.