MIAMI-Since the beginning of 2010, the Carlton Exchange, anonline commercial and residential real estate auction site, hasbeen hired to sell over $1 billion worth of commercial real estateproperties and loans in Florida, through a sealed-bid process.Sealed bids for its latest offering, which is composed of almostall Florida properties, a $188-million portfolio, are due by June4th.

The portfolio includes a loan for a shopping center in BoyntonBeach and a $10 million loan for 12 remaining units in a six-storyluxury condominium in Jacksonville Beach. Florida is one of the topfive states which have the most distressed assets, says Howard L.Michaels, chairman of the Carlton Group, which runs theauctions.

"Because investors now have increased liquidity both from thirdparty financing, equity joint ventures and their own increase inpersonal net worth," says Michaels, Carlton has been able to sellmillions of dollars worth of loans and REOs so far this year.