After 62 years in the auction business, it’s hard to think of something that we haven’t sold. Last week, for the first time in our career, we sold a Florida olive grove. The last time I saw an olive tree was when I was standing in the Mount of Olives where Jesus used to go and teach in Israel.
That’s one thing we have determined in the auction business over the years: We never know what the next call will be about or where it will come from. People are always asking me about the most unusual thing I have sold. To answer that question, I have to ask for clarification. Are you asking about real estate or personal property items? Then we can start to nail it down a little bit.
If we are talking about real estate, perhaps we would say it was when we sold an entire city in New Mexico called Whites City. This was at the entrance to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. Or 18,000 acres in Brazil. Or the Rosario Resort in San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington.
In one week, we booked the sale of grove property for a widow, evaluated a castle and acreage to sell for an estate, and fielded a request from Oregon regarding a major commercial property that has to be sold and closed in the next 90 days. This client in Oregon has a $12 million property. There are a number of people who want the property, and the client is smart enough to know that the only way to get the most money is to sell it at an auction. They understand that an auction is not a distress sale. Rather, the auction method is the only way such speedy success can be accomplished. We offer solutions that are tried and true!
Next, we’re working on the sale of excess property for the University of Missouri. They also realize in this market, you have to give all of the buyers a chance to bid if you want to get the most money.
When I hear on TV that someone sold a house in one day and paid 2% commission, I think that person left a lot of money on the table because the house was underpriced. We get the most money and don’t charge the seller anything!
If you have a piece of real estate you want to sell, call us. We charge nothing for an evaluation. It can’t hurt, and it might make you a lot of money.
See you at the auction.