1.

RESTRICTION OF A CEILING PRICE
House buying is often based on emotional issues and it is difficult to always predict price thresholds accurately.  Properties in demand locations should be made available in an open, competitive environment in order to seek feedback on price (by the way of offers and bids) without the ceiling of a set asking figure.

If an asking price is too high you will still get people to inspect the property, however, they will expect more for their money (e.g., more land, newer kitchen and bathroom, better position or a larger home) and therefore the inspections are “wasted” and valuable selling time is lost whilst the property is still “fresh”.  If a property becomes stale in the eyes or minds of prospective purchasers, even obtaining ‘market value’ can be an enormous challenge at this point.

2.

HEALTHIER LEVEL OF ENQUIRY / INSPECTIONS
Purchasers are more inclined to enquire or inspect properties scheduled for Auction as they believe the Vendors are more motivated to sell.  On many occasions they suspect that people attempting to sell privately are only prepared to sell if they get a premium price, which is frequently above market value.  In addition, the vendor is looking to achieve this sale with little contribution to any form of advertising or promotion.  A vendor who makes a firm commitment to thoroughly promote their property is normally making a very clear statement to the market place about their genuine desire to sell.

Importantly, the level of phone enquiry and inspections generated is generally far superior.  It is distinctly possible that a buyer enquiring on a property worth $600,000 to $650,000 may only have $500,000 to $550,000 to spend, however, with good referral skills the salesperson may be able to sell them an alternative property.  This thorough use of every phone enquiry can only benefit every single one of our clients.

3.

DEFINED TIME FRAME

By adopting a time frame (as you do with an Auction), there is a given day and time in which prospective purchasers must act if they are sufficiently interested in a property or risk missing out altogether.This pressure is vital as many purchasers tend to procrastinate when looking at properties for sale privately.

4.

UNCONDITIONAL SALE

Another crucial strength in favour of the auction system is the unconditional nature of the sale.  It is highly likely with a private sale that a buyer will impose conditions such as subject to their solicitor approving the documentation or (subject to) finance or a satisfactory builders / architects report.  Whilst these things might eventually sort themselves out, it slows the selling process down and it can result in frustrating time delays for the vendor.With an auction, unconditional contracts are signed and exchanged immediately upon the fall of the hammer and a 10% deposit paid by the purchaser.  There is no opportunity for your purchaser to have “buyer remorse” and use their 3 working day allowance to “cool off”.  Unless a property has been misrepresented by the vendor, salesperson or agency it will not allow the purchaser to withdraw from the contract.
 

5.

COMPETITION

To create competition by fully publicising the property and so allowing interested parties to compete (bid) against each other, which often results in a much higher price being obtained than the reserve fixed by the vendor and salesperson in consultation.  Obviously this cannot occur with a private sale.  A competent auctioneer can take full advantage of people’s natural vanity and determination not to be “beaten” in a public forum.

6.

PUBLICITY

With vendors normally spending on average between 1.25-1.5% of the actual value of their property on marketing and advertising, they are able to inform a considerable number of people that their property is available for sale.  Advertising should be seen as an investment in ensuring you achieve an outstanding price.Also, the fact that there is a board on the property allows neighbours and anyone who passes, to become unpaid salespeople by “spreading the word” to people e.g., friends or relatives who may be interested in purchasing that particular property (I appreciate this last point applies to a private sale board as well).  I know some vendors have concerns about the local residents inspecting their home ‘on mass’ – the reality is that very few neighbours ever bother to do so.  It happened a lot more a few years ago.

7.

MORE SELLING OPPORTUNITIES

An auction offers three opportunities to sell.  Firstly, if a satisfactory offer is made prior to auction, a sale may be effected.  The greatest chance should present itself on auction day.  If the auction is not successful, most properties usually sell within a very short period after the auction.

DISADVANTAGES OF THE AUCTION METHOD

There are a few disadvantages of the auction method, the most commonly cited being:

 - The cost of advertising, and

 - Discomfort of the vendor on the day of auction itself.

A professional agent will tailor a cost-efficient advertising campaign and will ensure that the vendor is kept informed throughout the campaign, treated sensitively and advised accurately and objectively on the auction day itself.