Farm Auction

Great post about attending a farm auction from the Homesteading Neophyte Blog


Farm Auction

by Phelan at 7:28 AM

Saturday we drove an hour out into the middle of nowwhere to attend a farm auction. Our goal was a windmill, a plow and a cast iron claw foot tub.

We arrived a little late, we didn't have time to look around before the auction got underway. The men wondered off into the machinery, while we women went into the barn for the furniture and other household goods. Sounds a little old fashion, but that's how it turned out.

I wasn't after the furniture, but did end up with a 1960's green foot stool with storage. I was only a dollar. I had my eye on one thing in that barn, and I would get it. But before we get to that, I also bought 2 boxes of 1960's board games, for a dollar. 2 boxes of fabrics and 2 boxes of crocheting material.

The auctioneers took a break, because they had begun the bidding on the tractors and cars. My sister-in-law approached me and told me that there was hard wood flooring in the barn. She had already told my husband {her brother} and he told her to tell me since I was the one working in that area. I thanked her for the heads up.

Back into the barn. I was going to bid on the canning jars, but m sister-in-law started, so I bowed out of it. I waited quietly until they got to the flooring. I won the bid at $22.50, turns out I was bidding against my brother-in-law without knowing. Ah, well, I wanted that flooring.

I got 7 bee hives for $9,

and a donkey cart for $5.

I didn't bid again until we got to the books. My bookcrossing friends will know how this story ends. I couldn't tell you how many books were there, or how many boxes. I informed my husband that I was going to be a good girl and only get 3 boxes. And I did, for $3 a box. Then my sister-in-law took two. Then no one wanted to bid. I took the remaining boxes, all, for $1. We moved onto the next table full of boxes of books. I didn't bid, I was trying to be good. One man bid and got 3 boxes, then once again no one bid. The auctioneer saw it in my eyes, he had too. He leaned over to me and said, "I will give you all the books and the small bookshelf and the wooden shop table for $1." I looked away, thinking and trying not to jump up and down screaming I LOVE YOU!. Instead I nodded, "one dollar." SOLD! I now have a couple thousand more books.

I told my father-in-law what I did, he shook his head and said that his son wouldn't be happy. But I got the shop table! And a man asked if he could go through my boxes and look for old bibles, I told him he could, but there wasn't a bible in the lot. He did give me $2 for an old encyclopedia.

I also got some milk filters and milking gear, and a few misc items.

I also got the cast iron bathtub, for $9!

and a garden planter for $5 {it still works}

My husband bought the plow

Yes, it is a horse pulled plow

The windmills went for almost $500 a piece, so we didn't win them.

He wasn't mad about the books because I had won my bids, low, on the items he wanted, or was glad I found. He bought 13 bridge boards, and 6 wood planks that were 30 feet long.

We spent a total of $300. Not bad for how much we got. Everything we bought will be used.

Sunday we had to retrieved the lumber. My husband and I did it alone. The bridge boards weighed 250 pounds a piece, and the planks were behind bid piles of someone's lumber inside of a shed. We had to lift and finagle them out, all 7 of them. We were down to 4 when someone came over and helped. It went a lot faster. Still after 3 hours, my arms are now dead weight.

The red gates on top of the lumber are stock racks.

I'll tell you what we are going to do with all that lumber later. It's very cool. . .um I mean hot.

Rare farm machinery auctioned near Armidale

ABC News Online

Hundreds of people from as far away as north Queensland and Melbourne have attended an auction of vintage and antique farm machinery south of Armidale on the weekend.

The auction, on Bill Morton's property at Dangarsleigh, included rare early 20th century farming equipment.

The rarest items were two Twin City tractors, which were made in the 1920s by an American company.

Although they were not in working order, they still fetched prices of up to $10,000.

One successful bidder, John Barwick, says it was money well spent.

"It's quite unique - I haven't seen anything like it - to have machinery in as good order as this," he said.

Auctioneer Victor Moore says many people were surprised by the value of the items.

"Extremely unusual and a lot of the items we're seeing here are very, very rare," he said.

Mr Morton says he has been forced to sell off the possessions for personal reasons.

"It's the end of an era and I'll have a bit more room in my shed," he said.

He says although he is sad to see his vast collection of items and memorabilia go, he is glad it is going to good homes.

THOUSANDS OF PIECES FROM A LIFETIME MIAMI COLLECTION OF DECORATIVE ARTS TO CROSS THE BLOCK AT ALBRITTON

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2007

ALBRITTON AUCTIONEERS
LAKELAND, FL
Sale May 18,19, 2007

The first in a series of sales to dispose a very large collection will be conducted in Lakeland, FL on May 18 and 19 by Kale Albritton.

Veteran Florida auctioneer Kale Albritton, owner of Albritton Auctioneers in Lakeland, FL, met with the family of a deceased Miami collector several years ago to begin the dispersal of the thousands of antiques and collectibles in the estate. He held two small initial sales after that but could never get the family organized enough to complete the task. When he retired four years ago he still held out hope that he would get the opportunity to conduct the entire sale. That opportunity has now presented itself and Albritton has come out of retirement for this series of sales.

He has worked for months out of a series of storage buildings and houses where the collection has been stored for the last thirty years and still has no idea how many total lots will be in all the sales. The first sale on May 18 and 19 will consist of approximately 600 lots of art, antiques, silver, art glass and bronzes. Albritton has identified at least 92 bronzes and 75 lots of art glass, including Tiffany, Galle and Daum and large selection of period American and English sterling hollow and flatware to be included in the first sale.

The silver will include sterling bowls by Tiffany, a wine cooler, serving bowls, compotes, a 240 piece service of "Faneuil" flatware, a Samuel Kirk tea and coffee service (c.1840), Sheffield silver, Britannia casters, sterling serving trays, goblets, standing salt cellars, Georgian serving spoons by Peter, Ann and William Bateman, coin silver, 167 pieces of Francis I flatware, ornate plated/crystal epergnes, sterling vases, trays, goblets and many others.

Significant art includes a work by Edward W. Cooke (English 1811-1880) entitled "Good Luck Fires" painted while Cooke was on vacation in New Mexico. Other works include "Calais Pier" by Thomas Bush Hardy (English 1842-1897), "Sheep in Pasture" by G. C. Wiggins (American 1883-1962) and "Young Girl" by Charles T. Phelan (American 1840) plus many more.
The art glass and crystal category includes a 17in tall Favrile lamp signed "L.C.T." on the base, Steuben Rosaline engraved plates, a pulled feather design art glass epergne with Sheffield silver plated base and flint glass inserts, many pieces of Moser, an acid-cut Baccarat vase, five Galle vases, a major three piece center set of a dark amethyst glass pedestal and an 11in by 6in bowl with a matching pair of 13in candleholders decorated with gold cameo bands of Amazon warriors, signed Moser, Karlsbad.

The sale will include three Audubon Elephant books entitled "Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America" lithographed and printed by J. T Bowen, Philadelphia, 1845, a good selection of Majolica, a Tiffany desk lamp, many bent slag glass lampshades with table, floor lamps and ceiling fixtures, many stained and leaded glass shades and bases, a pair of Sang de Boeuf table lamps, Kutani table lamps, wicker floor lamp, Phoenix glass table lamp and Galle lamp, figural bronze lamp of a lady marked P. Terczkszuk (Austrian) with an 8 x 4¾in Galle shade among others. Also crossing the block will be a wide selection of 18th, 19th and early 20th century furniture including game tables, stands, desks, work tables and much more.

This will be an absolute auction conducted without reserve. It will be held at Sikes Hall in the Lakeland Center, 701 W. Lime Dr. in Lakeland, FL beginning at 5:00PM Friday May 18 and will continue at 10:00AM Saturday May 19. Preview will be at the Center on Thursday May 17 from 1:00PM to 8:00PM. Seating can be reserved by phone at (863) 686-7653 or by email to kalealbrit@aol.com. Phone and absentee bids will be accepted. For more information call the number above or visit the website at www.albritton.net.

PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR ALBRITTON
Sale May 18,19, 2007

Cooke – "Good luck Fires" by Edward W. Cooke, O/C, 20 by 16in.

Colinet – Bronze and ivory dancer by Claire J. R. Colinet (Flemish 1880-1950), 18 by 7½in.

Desk – Walnut slant front desk, circa 1800.

Epergne – Epergne with Sheffield silver plate base and flint glass inserts.

Lamp – 17in Favrile lamp signed on the base "L.C.T."

Tiffany – Large sterling center bowl by Tiffany

First the drought, then the auction

By Tony Spilde/Bismarck Tribune

NEW SALEM - Chrome glinted in the midday sun from all the pickups lined up on both sides of Ash Avenue.

You don't see that many vehicles in small-town North Dakota unless something big is afoot. This was, by all accounts, a to-do.

"I never thought I'd see this day," said Dave Kautzman, who was moving a pallet of tractor parts from his shop to an outside staging area. "At least it's sunny."

A wry smile spread across his mug. Of course it was sunny. It was always sunny, and that was a big part of the problem.

It was ironic, then, that Kautzman had to push the pallet jack through a puddle. It had rained a few days earlier. Now the rain comes. Now.

An ongoing drought has altered the lives of thousands of people in western North Dakota. For some it has meant spikes in their water bill or driving a few extra miles to find a boat ramp that's still wet. But for so many others the ramifications have been much more severe.

Kautzman, co-owner of D&K Farm Equipment Inc., had to help shut down the 46-year-old family business last weekend.

"We had a really good working relationship here with a lot of people,"Kautzman said. "But business was getting to be less and less every year. I think in the last few years the drought has had a lot of impact on things. People didn't use their equipment, so we didn't have to service it."

The family got together in December and decided to sell. They held an auction here on April 13-14.

In a few cafes in the southwestern part of the state, farm-auction bills have been plastered up this year like wallpaper.

"We have had a very busy season; there's no doubt about that," Lyle Steinmetz, a Carson-area rancher and auctioneer for Weishaar Auctioneer Service, said. "Our (farm auction) business has been busier than normal. We have probably seen 20 percent more sales this year than we anticipated."

Steinmetz said the spring farm sales have been held for a number of reasons. Some farmers are retiring. Some are cutting back. Some are cutting and running.

"I wonder if we've had even one sale where the bank said, 'This has got to happen,'" Steinmetz said. "There have been some financial considerations in the sales we've handled, but some have been for other reasons. Ithink bankers and sellers have sat down and talked about what's in their best interests."

Weishaar has run 22 farm auctions this spring, and has four to go. Steinmetz, a rancher all his life, said there's plenty to be concerned about out on the prairie. From a lack of moisture to the skyrocketing prices of fertilizer, fuel and land, many producers could be facing a tipping point.

"In the rural America I'm familiar with, the slipshod operators are gone and the people looking for a handout are gone," Steinmetz said. "The next tier that tips over will have a long-term impact here and throughout the country."

Changing times

Jody Fuchs had to rearrange his work schedules just to make it to his own auction sale Friday and Saturday.

The Grant County rancher sold most of his farm equipment this weekend, but will still run about 150 head of Angus cattle. To make ends meet, he's taken jobs at Double R Meats in Carson and as the field man for the local Farm Service Agency office.

"It's hard to make a living on the land," Fuchs said. "I've had to take all kinds of odd jobs so I can eat and take care of my family. Anymore, to survive out here in the farm and ranch business isn't hardly feasible without having another job or someone to help you. It's just tough."

Fuchs wanted to have his sale earlier this spring, but had to settle for late April because Weishaar was booked each weekend before that, going back to February.

Other auctioneers in western North Dakota, including Vincent Bitz in Bismarck and Gordon Krance in South Heart, have noticed only minor increases in the number of farm auctions this year. For some reason, Grant County - as well as Weishaar outposts in Sentinel Butte and Lemmon, S.D. - has been hit harder.

In the most recent agriculture census, conducted by the National Agricultural Statistics Service in 2002, there were 548 farms in Grant County. The average farm was 1,928 acres.

In the 1987 census, Grant County had 688 farms, with an average size of 1,483 acres.

In 15 years, the county lost 20 percent of its farms, and those that were left grew in size by nearly a quarter of their previous acreage.

"What we're seeing is continued consolidation and expansion on the farming and ranching side - fewer, bigger farms," Steinmetz said. "There's not any of this land that won't be farmed. It's all going to get seeded, and if landowners choose to rent their land, there's ready takers."

But Steinmetz said the cost of buying or renting more land to make up for reduced production caused by the drought has been a losing proposition for several producers. It's been particularly tough on the younger ones, he said.

"Idon't think a lot of people here, myself included, like to see the trend that's obviously going on,"Steinmetz said. "The average age of the operators is going up, and the weather isn't cooperating. All these guys are not broke, but they're probably frustrated and just don't see that it's going to get a lot better soon. I'm sure that weighs into their consideration to sell."

Under pressure

People are buying up land like crazy in Emmons County, in south-central North Dakota.

Just none of them are farmers.

Or at least not many of them are. Brian Bosch sells real estate in rural areas, and said the market rarely has been better. But he's also not selling to too many of his Linton-area neighbors.

"In the last week I've sold 3,000 acres of land to guys from Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Minnesota," Bosch said. "Everyone was from out of state. No local farmers can buy the land here anymore because these hunters are driving the price up. We had a real big push last year in land sales, and I'd guess it was 90 percent recreational hunters."

Bosch said land that was selling for $400 an acre three years ago is now in the $700 to $750 range.

That's just for the canvas. Paint and brushes cost extra, and they're also near record highs.

In 1987, back when there were 20 percent more farms in Grant County, a gallon of diesel fuel cost 95 cents a gallon. Apply inflation to that, and it would cost about $1.80 today.

Instead, it's at $2.87.

Likewise, anhydrous ammonia - which is tied to the fluctuations in natural gas prices - is selling for a whopping $470 per ton, according to the Agrilliance Agronomy Center in Mandan.

Throw a drought on top of that, and you've got some bad conditions.

"It's almost impossible right now for a young farmer to start a farm from ground zero," Steinmetz, the auctioneer and rancher, said. "But you live in the times you're in, so what can you do? This is a business that's fed on optimism. If people want to be negative, they can be negative. It's certainly not all roses, I'm not trying to say that, but there are still a lot of people making it out there."

But there are fewer people making a living on the land than there used to be.

In 2006, there were 30,300 farm operations in North Dakota. That's down nearly 40 percent from 1966, when there were 49,000 farms. Land being used for agriculture is down only 6 percent in the same time period, from 42 million acres to 39.4 million. Again, there are fewer farms, but they're bigger. That means more up-front costs, and more money going into the ground each season. Fortunately, good crop prices - including a new demand for corn - appear to be mitigating some of the bad news.

Still, farmers and ranchers here say they could use some assistance.

"I'm going to stay ranching, but I know a lot of people who aren't,"Fuchs, the Carson rancher who had a sale this weekend, said. "There's the high price of fuel and seed, and it don't rain. The government programs don't seem to want to help the people that are surviving out here on the land, trying to give them food."

An 11th-hour agriculture-disaster bill could be in the offing in Congress, which would send an estimated $200 million to North Dakota. It's never been more needed, Steinmetz said.

"I went through the disaster payments that came down in the '80s and '90s, but if there was ever a need for a disaster program, this is it,"Steinmetz said. "We haven't seen all the fallout (from the ongoing drought) yet. A lot of the conservative farmers and ranchers have been doing OK, but with the combination of things that have gone on in southwestern North Dakota in the last couple years, it's pretty critical for some kind of disaster assistance. If the weather conditions change, and you combine that with disaster assistance, things could heal up pretty quick."

If nothing comes down the pike, Steinmetz fears lenders could be unwilling to bend further.

"Most of the bankers are really trying to go along with things, doing what they can to keep everybody in business," Steinmetz said. "But they won't be able to keep it up. The bleeding is going to have to stop. Meanwhile, if we lose one young farmer in Grant County, that's too many."

(Reach reporter Tony Spilde at 250-8260 or tony.spilde@;bismarcktribune.com.)

Theresa Taylor Wins Ontario Auction Competition

For immediate release.
March 1, 2007

Theresa Taylor added some more hardware to her mantle, following the 23rd Annual Convention of the Auctioneers Association of Ontario (AAO), held last week in Stratford, Ontario.

Ms. Taylor competed in the AAO Championship Competition, which took the form of a real charity auction to benefit the Rotary Club of Stratford’s Respite House. Nineteen auctioneers from across Ontario competed, hailing from Sault St. Marie to South Lancaster. At the end of the day, $10,000.00 was raised for the charity, and Ms. Taylor was crowned Ladies Champion and Experienced Overall Champion. She is the first female ever to win the Experienced Overall title.

"Theresa was obviously on top of her game at the competition and the judges
rewarded her for that," said Ken McGregor, Executive Director of the Auctioneers Assoication of Ontario.

“It is always nice to test your skills against some of best auctioneers in the province, and in that regard I am very pleased and excited with the results”, said Theresa Taylor. “It makes sense that if you are going to have auctioneers compete, why not hold a real live auction. It was fun to compete, however the true winners of the day were Rotary and their charity.”

Competitors were judged by a panel of five judges. Points were awarded for presentation, selling skills, and the clarity, speed, rhythm, and timing of the auctioneer’s chant.

“Theresa is a credit to the Auction Industry”, said Bill Sheridan, President of the National Auctioneer’s Association (NAA) and one of the judges of the competition. “When she took the microphone the auction came alive with enthusiasm. Her professional demeanor and the way she approached selling each item made it very clear that she was indeed a champion auctioneer and bid-caller.”

Theresa Taylor is a certified and experienced auctioneer operating out of South Lancaster on the outskirts of Cornwall, Ontario. She has helped to raise over $300,000 through special charity auctions over the past several years, and has worked hard to improve her skills, both as an auctioneer and as a businesswoman. These efforts have been recognized with a number of awards.

Rose Award (NAA March 2005)
World Ladies Champion and Canadian Ladies Champion (AAC, Montreal, 2004)
Member of the Year (AAO, 2002)
Entrepreneur of the Year (Cornwall Chamber of Commerce, 2001)

The Auctioneers Association of Ontario (AAO) is an association dedicated to promoting auctioneers and the auction industry in Ontario. Its members represent many segments of the auction industry and include the most respected auctioneers in Ontario.

Here are the official final results from the competition:

Novice Champion: Greg Wheeler, Brussels
Runner up; David Hiscox, Port Sydney

Ladies Champion: Theresa E. Taylor, South Lancaster

Experienced Overall Champion: Theresa E. Taylor, South Lancaster
Runner up Gary Jantzi, Wellesley


“The AAO Annual Convention is extremely important as attendees gain invaluable information, not only from the speakers, but from other delegates as well,” added Ms. Taylor. “The fellowship experienced at the convention allows us to return home with a positive & energized attitude toward our industry”.

For more information on this sale, please contact Theresa at:

Phone: 613-347-7672 or Toll Free: 1-877-746-9333

or visit her website at:

www.TheresaTaylor.com

SOUTHERN FURNITURE AND ORIGINAL ART TO BE FEATURED AT JACK EUBANKS AUCTION IN APRIL

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 2, 2007

JACK EUBANKS AUCTION
BREVARD, NC
Sale April 28, 2007

Eubanks again assembles a diverse inventory of over 600 lots for the April 28 sale.

Following the success of his January 13 wide ranging sale, Jack Eubanks, owner of Jack Eubanks Auction in Brevard, NC, will offer his bidders a diverse inventory of over 600 lots from a wide variety of consignors and living estates in North Carolina. Several fine lots of pre Civil War Southern furniture will cross the block accompanied by early 19th century examples from other locations.

Art will play a key role in the upcoming sale. One of the featured artists will be Charles Johnson Post (1873-1956), a New York artist and author who enlisted with the 71st New York Infantry in 1898 to experience the Spanish-American War. After a rail ride through the South and encampment in Tampa with Roosevelt, Post landed in Cuba and participated in the fighting. Along the way he documented his travels and adventures in words and pictures. His book "The Little War of Private Post – The Spanish-American War Seen Close Up" was published posthumously in 1960 by Little, Brown & Co. The current printing published by the University of Nebraska press features a color version of the Post rendering of "Bloody Ford," the crossing of a stream in Cuba by U. S. troops under fire. The original etching will be offered at the sale. Other Post works include a battlefield scene depicting the overrunning of the Spanish trenches at the capture of the San Juan blockhouse by the 6th and 16th Infantry with the dead figure of American Lt. Ord in the foreground and also an oil on canvas of an eerie religious scene with the inscription on the back "The letter killeth but the spirit giveth life. 2nd Corintians 3:6" which is a shortened version of the verse that reads "Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." Post’s work was featured in Life on July 7, 1958 with a ten page spread of his work. A copy of Johnson’s 1912 book "Across the Andes" autographed and dedicated to his father will also be available. The Post material came from the local living estate of a friend of Post’s daughter.

A portrait of a male toddler by noted Quaker artist Marcus Mote (1817-1898) is on the agenda. Mote, a fifth generation Quaker, was in constant trouble with his Meetings because of his art which was considered to be "worldly" and "frivolous" by the religious group. In 1869 he founded the Richmond Academy of Design in Richmond, IN and established the foundation for a growing arts community. The oil on canvas portrait is shown in an oval gold frame and is inscribed verso "12/mo 1877 Richmond, Indiana." Also on the block is a Florida watercolor landscape by Florida artist James Ralph Wilcox (1866-1915) and a screen print of an abstract work by Yosef Zaritsky (Russian/Israeli 1891-1985).

On the furniture side of the sale is a very fine walnut plantation desk, circa 1850, from the Wellborn Plantation in Eufala, AL, the property of Solon Nelson Wellborn, a pre Civil War desk with open book shelf above in "as found" condition in a tenant farmer’s cabin on a plantation in north Fulton County, GA, an Ohio walnut corner cupboard with six panes of glass in the doors, divided by muntins to look like twelve panes and many more items.

Preview for the sale is scheduled for Friday April 27 and the sale is Saturday April 28 at 9:00AM in the Eubanks Auction facility at 220 S. Broad St, Brevard, NC. Reserved seating for 160 is available by phone or email. For more information contact Jack Eubanks at (828) 884-7889, email info@jackeubanks.com or visit the website at http://www.jackeubanks.com/.

PHOTO CAPTIONS FOR JACK EUBANKS AUCTION
April 28, 2007

Post – The original of "Bloody Ford" near San Juan by Charles Johnson Post.

Desk – A walnut plantation desk from the Wellborn plantation in Eufala, AL.




Mote – A portrait of a Midwest toddler by Marcus Mote, circa 1877.



Wagon – This turn of the century wagon was made by the Owensboro Wagon Company of Daviess County, KY, established in 1884.



Wilcox – This Florida watercolor is by James Ralph Wilcox.



Piano – This Mason & Hamlin grand was made in 1962.


Press Release by: Fred and Gail Taylor
www.furnituredetective.com
800-387-6377

Real Estate Auctions - Why Real Estate Auctions are the Best Way to Sell a Property

Real Estate Auctions - Why Real Estate Auctions are the Best Way to Sell a Property
Author: Adrian Loepp
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March 23, 2007 7:04:55 PM (12 Reads)
Summary: It is hard to turn on the television nowadays and not hear a news articles describing how housing starts are down again or that foreclosures are at record numbers or new home sales are at 4 year lows. The housing sector has definitely taken its lumps over the past year. Now with the announcement last week that one of the largest sub prime lenders in the country is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, there is a chill in the real estate markets and people are very concerned about the future value of their properties.

It is hard to turn on the television nowadays and not hear a news articles describing how housing starts are down again or that foreclosures are at record numbers or new home sales are at 4 year lows. The housing sector has definitely taken its lumps over the past year. Now with the announcement last week that one of the largest sub prime lenders in the country is teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, there is a chill in the real estate markets and people are very concerned about the future value of their properties.

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.

Adrian has many years as a real estate educator, investor, and personal financial consultant. He has personally purchased over 50 single family houses in the past 5 years using various methods of creative real estate investing.. He shares his invaluable experience and techniques to those looking for guidance in their real estate and personal financial activities. He is currently a Certified Real Estate Auctioneer selling properties in the Tacoma/Seattle area of Washington State. For more information visit his website at http://www.auctionsnorthwest.com

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Learning the mechanics of life on the farm

Learning the mechanics of life on the farm
By ELIZABETH KALFSBEEK/Democrat staff Writer
Article Created: 03/23/2007 10:00:08 AM PDT

A new set of wheels? No, Daily Democrat writer Elizabeth Kalfsbeek just contemplates a joy ride on this John Deere tractor.
In light of National Ag Week, I decided to hone in on my roots as a country girl and try my hand at a local farm auction. Coming from a family of farmers, I am no stranger to dirt and dust and harvesters. I went to school in the city, however, and lose touch at times with how, exactly, farmers really do feed America.

It's not Christie's. Nor Sotheby's. There are no fancy wooden paddles with your bidding number on it to elegantly wave. There are not even seats.

No, at the Boeger farm auction in Gridley I recently attended, potential bidders mull around like cattle, following the auctioneer who is standing in the flatbed of a pickup with a microphone.

This was the first farm auction I'd attended, and decided to pass on some of the etiquette I gathered should anyone find himself in my same position.

Rule No. 1: Do not raise your hand for any reason unless you want to go home with a $10,000 piece of equipment. In fact, keep any type of sudden movement to a bare minimum and on an emergency-basis only, like shooing away a wasp - if you are allergic to them. As I learned, gesturing for a cold beverage by putting my hand above my head, flicking my hair, or even pushing my sunglasses up my nose is seen by the watchful eye of
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the emcee as a bid. Fortunately, three times was a charm for me. I received a verbal warning over the mic instead of a bailer.

Rule No. 2: "Go" before you leave home. Unless you are a big fan of the porta-potty, I suggest you enjoy the facilities in the privacy of your own home before venturing out. This also means leaving the coffee behind.

Rule No. 3: Try the local fare. If you are lucky, there will be some type of barbecue area and if the tri-tip sandwiches are as delicious as the one I tried, give yourself a treat and buy two. But do not mistake the creamy horseradish sauce for mayonnaise "with a kick" as I did. Too much really clears your sinus's. The hot dog's are great, too.

Though the shelf-life of the farm auction novelty expired during the four hours I spent there, it was quite an enjoyable and educational experience all in all. It is, after all, that time of year again. On the drive there, we passed a tractor on the road, which is rare sight during the winter months. And a sense of nostalgia washed over me, going back to my roots as a country girl. It even smells like "farm" in the air. And I like it.

For the next auction? I will go prepared with a lawn chair, umbrella, ice chest and a magazine. And I'll keep my hands in my pockets.