Blog Post Thursday: Denver, Dead Mice, and Why We Auction

I just got back from the National Auction Association Real Estate Summit in Denver, CO. My brother asked if I had fun. I did. Though I told him it looked like the benefit auctioneers had more fun at their summit this past August in Montreal, QC. I wouldn't be surprised if people were hanging from the chandeliers. The auctioneers who went to both? They're not saying a word about Montreal. Real estate auctioneers are apparently way more boring—sorry, serious.

I did get to go out to eat and hold a live King Crab! Texted my mom a picture. She texted back: "Oh, my gosh! Put that thing down!!!" Nothing quite like freaking out your mother.

I also learned I should keep better track of days. I'm still too embarrassed to talk about it, but let's just say I haven't messed up conference dates this badly since the Arkansas incident in 2018 when I showed up a day late. My brother says the number of auctions we have is not an excuse. I think it is.

Speaking of auctions—we have several coming up over the next few weeks. Lots of them.

Two weeks ago we had an open house, and the auction service bought a bunch of specialty coffee from HeBrewz Coffee House in Jonesboro, IL—which is good coffee, by the way. One person showed up to see the house and didn't want flavored iced coffee. I started calling people to come get free coffee. There's still coffee in the refrigerator. Lesson learned: don't keep flavored coffee in the fridge for two weeks. I wonder if that's the smell? Nope, just a dead mouse. I bet he had too much caffeine.

So why have an auction anyway?

This was actually asked at the conference. We as auctioneers need to do a better job explaining this to the public.

We get asked this a lot. People think they could do it themselves or hire a REALTOR (which we are) and save money. They could—but they might also be throwing away a lot more money.

Real estate's been on my mind lately (shocking, I know). Why do people have a real estate auction? So they know when their property will sell. We set the terms, create urgency, and bring serious buyers to the table. Most real estate sellers own their homes free and clear. Auctions can have a negative connotation to them, and we'd like to change that.

How does this benefit buyers? They know the terms are staying the same, which makes it fair for everyone. No last-minute surprises, no drawn-out negotiations—just a clear date, clear terms, and a sold property.

Happy Bidding!
Kara C. Belcher-Miller

P.S. I took a selfie with the big blue bear in Denver. The bear's backside is behind me in the photo, and I keep thinking people are going to look at it and get the wrong idea.