PHILADELPHIA – Tuesday was a sad day for a lot of Philadelphia homeowners, as their properties went on the auction block after sheriff’s sales resumed.

In all, 2,600 properties were listed for sale Tuesday. But the sheriff’s office says hundreds of homeowners got last-minute reprieves, buying them a little extra time.

About 400 properties did go up for auction Tuesday.

We haven’t seen any sheriff’s sales for the past three months. That was when a judge halted sales due to a delay in implementing HUD emergency loans to homeowners in danger of losing their homes.

The grace period ended Tuesday, as bidders looking for bargains filled a banquet hall in West Philly.

The sheriff said she sympathizes with those who are losing their homes, but there’s a court order to start the sales up.

On the other hand, people who may not otherwise be able to afford a home can get one at a reduced cost, returning a vacant or delinquent property to good use and strengthening neighborhoods.

The HUD money, $106 million, is still there. And the group Poor Peoples Economic Human Rights Campaign staged a sleep-in to protest the sales.