TAMPA - Bargain hunters, take note: Tonight is your chance to see how low lenders are willing to go to unload homes they've taken back in foreclosure.

Fifty-seven Tampa Bay area homes are set to sell at auction at 7 p.m. at the Tampa Marriott Westshore, 1001 N. West Shore Blvd.

Texas-based auctioneer Hudson & Marshall is attempting to sell 400 bank-owned Florida homes this week.

This is a reserve auction, so lenders can reject bids if they consider them too low. But the dreary Florida real estate market offers plenty of motivation to slash prices, says Dave Webb, principal, Hudson & Marshall.

"Bank-owned real estate auctions are a quick way to bring buyers and sellers together in one place at one time and dispose of a large amount of property," Webb said. "With so many foreclosures on their books, banks are aggressively trying to get rid of these homes and turning to auction firms to sell them at a discount to new homeowners."

The company says it plans auctions for several states and expects Florida to be among the must successful.

In the first quarter of 2009, California-based RealtyTrac found California, Florida, Arizona, Nevada and Illinois accounted for nearly 60 percent of the nation's foreclosures

In the Tampa metro area, there were 16,464 foreclosure activities - default notices, auction sale notices and bank repossessions - in the first quarter, according to RealtyTrac.

That's one filing for every 80 households and an 11 percent drop from the previous quarter. Filings are up nearly 40 percent compared with the first quarter last year.

Advanced registration is not required, but bidders are encouraged to inspect properties before the auction. All homes being auctioned are "as-is." Property details and additional information may be found at www.hudsonandmarshall.com or by calling 1-866-539-4172.

The company plans two more auctions this week. In Orlando, 136 homes are scheduled to be auctioned at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Renaissance Hotel Orlando Airport. On Sunday, 120 homes are scheduled for auction at 1 p.m. at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott North.

Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804.