The Eastern Shore: going once, going twice...

Four more Eastern Shore residences will be on the block this Friday, according to a release from an auction company today.

As our reporters have covered in recent weeks, auctions have become an increasingly popular way to unload homes in areas like Somerset County's Smith Island and Trappe, in Talbot County (subscriber-only links).

From the release:

The properties in Crisfield include one three-bedroom home that was built in 2005, one three bedroom restored Victorian with a wrap-around porch, two fish ponds and excellent ‘fixer-upper’ potential, and one four-bedroom cape cod that was built in 2006 and has never been occupied. The mixed-use property is currently a three bedroom home. However, it is zoned for commercial use which increases the potential for this property. ... A charming and upscale two-bedroom waterfront rancher is also being offered in Cambridge.

The most amusing part of the release comes at the end, however. After noting that the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy predicts 160,000 new residents will call the Eastern Shore home in the next 25 years (... whoa), Express Auction quotes Ed McGuirk, broker of record for Shore Realty of Maryland: "Crisfield is a diamond in the rough."

Any takers for these gems?

-JACKIE SAUTER, Daily Record Multimedia Editor

Watch our original video from our reporter's trip to Smith Island.