The typical method of selling a home via a real estate agent is just not working as effectively as it did in the past. Houses are staying on the market much longer and price decreases are almost the norm. Even with all of this price cutting, home sales are still way down from previous years. The old familiar way of doing things is no longer getting the results that people expect.

Real estate auctions on the other hand are enjoying a surge in popularity. It appears to be a match made in heaven. Real estate is the fastest growing segment of the auction business, and auctions are the fastest growing segment of the real estate business. Some of the reasons that real estate auctions are fast becoming a preferred method of selling a property quickly are:

Reason #1: It’s a Quick Sale
An auction affords property owners the opportunity to dispose of property now at today’s prices, rather than tomorrow’s prices. Time is money. Depending on reinvestment rates, $195,000 or even $190,000 today is likely more valuable than $200,000 next year.

Reason #2: High Carrying Costs are Avoided
All property incurs costs during its private negotiating marketing period — debt service, real estate taxes, insurance payments, maintenance and sometimes security. All too often, the carrying or holding costs of real estate during a private negotiated marketing program won’t be recovered in a higher selling price. In effect, the sooner a property sells, the greater the bottom line dollars in pocket for the seller and/or greater the savings that may be passed on to the buyer.

Reason #3: Property Market Value can be Demonstrated
Instead of relying on the appraiser to assigning an asking price, the auction process demonstrates the value of the property to sellers and potential buyers. Selling property by the private negotiated method, you may wonder whether you couldn’t have bargained higher. But if the property is sold at auction, the proof of market value is in the process itself. Moments before the final bid, another serious buyer bid just a few dollars less. The selling price is truly market driven.

The bottom line is, real estate auctions are a very effective way to sell a property quickly at market value. If you own some real estate and you would like to sell it quickly, real estate auctions might be your best bet in today’s uncertain markets.

Property A is sold, and on the strength of this sale, your client purchases Property B. Now sale A develops problems in escrow and the sale cannot close. The client is now in a state of hysteria since his only hope of closing on Property B in 60 days is by closing on Property A. What do you do? Auction Property A and arrange a sale date well in advance of the closing date on Property B, stipulating that part of the terms and conditions of the real estate auction is a quick closing. This can only be accomplished with a real estate auction.

A type of situation which dictates the advantage of a real estate auction is the high divorce rate and the need to dispose of the real estate quickly. Often neither party can afford to hold a property that they previously owned as husband and wife.

When a partnership dissolves, the situation often demands an immediate sale of the assets, including the real estate. Private negotiated marketing cannot guarantee a sale within a set, short time period. A real estate auction can.

Heirs to an estate that involves real estate are usually highly motivated for a fast sale. Most states encourage a real estate auction as a method for generating the highest price in the shortest period of time. Illness, or the need for immediate cash, or the inability of the owner to hold and maintain the real estate is another reason you should recommend a real estate auction. Holding costs can be crippling. All too often, the carrying or holding costs during a private negotiated marketing effort won’t be recovered in a higher selling price. Instead the price is reduced. Therefore, the sooner a property sells, the greater the bottom line dollars in pocket for the seller.

An exchange being held up waiting for a buyer on one of the legs - auction it. The real estate auction can also work especially well in a “Bull Market”. The law of supply and demand, where the demand exceeds the supply, is an ideal market to expose the real estate to competitive bidding to get the maximum return. The real estate auction is highly desirable in overbuilt or stagnant markets, where no reading exists on how low prices will fall or how long the market will stay overbuilt.

The private negotiated method and auction marketing method are different. A real estate auction can most generally guarantee a sale within a short period of time, and the attention is directed to the property being auctioned. Private negotiated marketing can’t accomplish this.

Clearly, real estate auctions offer owners of all types of real estate advantages that are not available with private negotiated real estate firms.

All of us in the real estate profession are salespeople first and foremost. Let’s forget for a moment the fancy titles and diplomas we have earned during our years in the business. The bottom line of success in our profession is still determined by our ability as salespeople. We constantly look for sellers so we have more listings. Our next step is to find the buyers.

A professionally managed real estate auction is a method of marketing that will find the buyers crawling out of the woodwork, and it is this benefit that will enable you to gain additional sales by offering your clients the real estate auction marketing option.