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TPC Gold | What Makes Vendors Sell Before Auction?

Ever wonder why a vendor would choose to sell before auction day? 🤔 

If you’re a buyer looking to understand the psychology behind pre-auction sales, today’s bonus episode is for you! 

From agent strategies designed to create urgency, to sentimental sellers seeking the comfort of a quick sale, this episode reveals it all.  

You’ll also get the scoop on how market conditions, interest rates, and emotions can tip the scales in your favour! 

For the full episode, tune in here: Episode 145 | 8 Reasons Why Vendors Sell Before Auction 

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Buying Before Auction? We’ve Got You Covered!

We hope this snippet helps you strategise your pre-auction offer with confidence! 

But if the auction day showdown is unavoidable, why not bring in the experts? 

Experienced Buyers Agents from our sister company Empower Wealth can guide you through every step, helping you: 

✅ Save Time – We handle the research, inspections, and negotiations.
✅ Gain Market Insight – Get insider knowledge on property values and trends.
✅ Reduce Stress – We’ll bid on your behalf, so you don’t have to!
✅ Avoid Overpaying – Secure the best deal with expert negotiation strategies. 

Buyers Agents can take the pressure off, so you can focus on landing your dream property! 🏡 Book in a free initial consultation today >> 

 

If You Enjoyed TPC Gold | What Makes Vendors Sell Before Auction, You Might Also Like:


Transcript

Bryce Holdaway
Ben, we’ve got a framework. We’ve got a framework.  

Ben Kingsley
No, are we unpacking a framework today?  

Bryce Holdaway
We’re going to unpack a framework. Here’s the deal, right? The amount of times that someone comes up to me and says: Bryce, tell us a strategy about buying properties prior to auction. And so there’s a bit of a technique. And then they say to me: why would someone sell prior to auction? And I’ve given up trying to come up with all the answers that people do, because sometimes it’s just you know, circumstance. So we decided that we’d actually give a framework. 

Ben Kingsley
Brainstorm it, yeah, brainstorm it, throw a few ideas out.  

Bryce Holdaway
So we threw a few around.  

Ben Kingsley
So you want me to lead off?  

Bryce Holdaway
I do.  

Ben Kingsley
Mate, I’m gonna start with an actually marketing ploy.  

Bryce Holdaway
Ooh. 

Ben Kingsley
So this is a little bit different. I sort of look at it like this where I’m basically talking about if for whatever reason there’s a time issue, and we’ll talk some about some other time issues as well I reckon, but this one is about marketing. Okay, so auctions are about creating scarcity and creating an outcome by a set time in a competition sense. So I actually think that agents might say: look, let’s put this under, you know, forthcoming auction or auction set date by this or offers before. So all of a sudden it’s actually a means by which the vendor, and they might be traveling overseas, they might have other commitments, but that’s the sort of thing for me if it is a marketing ploy to basically create that interest and get a result sooner rather than later. So I’m saying the number one is because it is an agent-led ploy to get an outcome quickly.  

Bryce Holdaway
I like it. There’s actually an agent, can’t think of his or her name, I think it was a him, on the central coast of New South Wales has a market that’s around $400 to $450 as typical sale price. And that market’s not typically where you’d expect auctions. He goes to auction, I’m pretty sure it’s a he, he goes to auction on 95% of his listings, right? And in a market that’s not known for going to auctions. Because what it does is it actually timestamps the marketing campaign, which is what you’re talking about if the listener thinks the real estate agent only gets paid for their time. So if they have a private sale arrangement, that could go for eight weeks, it could go for 12 weeks, whereas an auction campaign has got usually a finite time.  

Ben Kingsley
Because we know, don’t we, that when a property’s been hanging on the market for a while: What’s wrong with it? If it stays on too long, and we know it happens in Queensland as well, doesn’t it?  

Bryce Holdaway
The power shifts, doesn’t it?  

Ben Kingsley
Yeah, yeah. 

Bryce Holdaway
To the buyer. But this particular agent uses that as a timeframe to create scarcity, to create urgency, so that they can get through all their campaigns. So I think you’re absolutely spot on. You gotta think about: it’s not just does the vendor wanna sell to me? It’s the agent whose got ambition and goals and they’re trying, because if they do private sales all year, their income will probably be a third of what they’ve done, because they’ve got these rolling campaigns. They get the deal done before the auction, but it creates the urgency in the time frame.  

Ben Kingsley
I love it, I love it. 

Bryce Holdaway
So I think opening with that one’s a good one.  

Ben Kingsley
What do you got?  

Bryce Holdaway
For me I’m gonna go, massively, telescope, big picture. Sort of the external micro factors. Think about talk of sentiment change, think about interest rates, think about government changing, think about last year when the negative gearing debate came up. All those things create anxiety and uncertainty in the mind of the vendor and so therefore if any of that exists, I think that’s often one of the reasons why a vendor would be keen to take an offer and accept any reasonable offer.  

Ben Kingsley
We’ve already seen the Sydney market come off and that is changing the sentiment in that market. I mean, we were there a couple of weeks ago and speaking to the people there, they all said, definitely, market’s definitely slowing. So if you are that, you’re sort of thinking, your macro might only be your state or your city, and you’re starting to think well, all right, just if, you know, a bird in the hand as opposed to potentially a couple in the bush, I’ll grab that offer. All led by that particular macro factors that is changing the view and the media, you know. All the sort of boom, bust types cycles we go through in the media, so I think that’s a cracker. Alright.  

Bryce Holdaway
Alright, got another one for me?  

Ben Kingsley
Well yeah, probably the nervous seller. I mean that’s a classic one where you know they’re not familiar with auctions, they don’t understand the process. They don’t want to go through this anxiety burn that’s going to happen when they’re on the day of the auction. You know and usually you know they may be an older vendor or deceased vendor, and they don’t have their partner there anymore with them to sort of give them the confidence and the security. And even though the agent is going to hopefully reinforce that, if they’re still a little bit sceptical about agents, that can certainly be a place in that. I reckon that’s the nervous seller, the one who’s willing to sort of say, all right, well again, if I’ve got a fair price and that’s all I was looking for, that’s gonna be enough to get me moving. I’ll probably move on the sale.  

Bryce Holdaway
Yeah, well, if you think about the auction process, as you know, Ben, the person who wants the auction is the agent. The buyer doesn’t want it. In fact, a lot of the time, the seller actually doesn’t want it because, like you say, it just gives them that internal churn and that internal burn. Yeah, often they get a little bit of stage fright. And the agent is so used to the auction process that it’s so desensitized to them that they will happily take them. They know it’s worth it get it out.  

Ben Kingsley
And it’s amazing to think that some vendors are just happy to get a fair price. I mean, the vast majority and the job of the selling agent is to get the best possible outcome. But in some cases, we’ve talked about this before, where a vendor has sold to the couple that they prefer better. That they’ve got a connection with and this is a beautiful family home and I want you to create your memories there. I don’t care if someone’s gonna offer me more, because we always naturally go to that position that everyone wants the most and if this thing’s gonna sell for $400,000 above reserve, I’m gonna be doing cartwheels because that sets me up financially. But there are some vendors out there who may be nervous and who are saying, you just get me that, because that’s all I need and the job’s done.  

Bryce Holdaway
I think you raised a really good point there because if you’ve got someone who’s got a family home. It’s been their family home for 30 years and they would just love to see another family get that property, versus a developer who’s hanging around at auction.  

Ben Kingsley
Yeah, that’s another reason. Yeah, could be sold before auction.  

Bryce Holdaway
You picked up on a very good point. So I’m nervous or a sentimental seller.  

Ben Kingsley
Yeah, sentimental seller.  

Bryce Holdaway
Yeah. All right. Okay. I reckon this one’s a bit of a no-brainer, but they’re committed elsewhere. 

Ben Kingsley
Forced sales.  

Bryce Holdaway
Whenever given the choice between certainty and uncertainty, they will take it every day of the week. And of course, if they then translate that uncertainty into certainty, they can then maybe line up settlement dates as well. So, you know the classic they’ve bought somewhere else, is one of the reasons that bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.  

Ben Kingsley
Yeah, yeah, and you know in a moving market a lot of people were forced to do that, you know. They were sort of saying I just need to get in and then I’m reasonably confident that my property will get a certain value. So if they’re upsizing, you know they were forced certainly in the Sydney market It’s happening a little bit in the Melbourne market as well as opposed to going the other way around, because we would always say if you’re a conservative person you should sell first and then buy. But if the market’s moving too quickly, you might just jump in. And so obviously, if they have done that and they haven’t sold their property, guess what? Again, a good strong offer early in the campaign could potentially get that property off the market. 

TPC Gold | The Art of Negotiation – Real Estate Edition

Today’s bonus snippet features one of Australia’s top property experts – our very own Bryce Holdaway!  

In this TPC Gold soundbite, Bryce puts on his Buyer’s Agent cap and shares all he knows about how to negotiate when buying property. He also makes the bold claim that everything is negotiable when it comes to real estate…?! 

Find out exactly what he means by this, and why negotiation is not just an art but also a science. 

Get essential insights into how to handle auctions, why it’s useful to understand the vendor’s motivations, and more. Tune in so you too can start negotiating to win! 

If you’re interested in the full episode, it’s here: Episode 93 | How to Negotiate to Win 

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Episodes You May Be Interested In

Looking for a trusted professional to help you source properties, negotiate with agents or bid on your behalf at auction? Our sister company Empower Wealth has a team of experienced Buyer’s Agents who can help! 

 

469 | How Auctions Really Work: The Hybrids, Negotiations & Courageously Uncomfortable Reserve Prices – Chat with Justin Nickerson

 

What are the best auction strategies for buyers when the hammer drops?   

Why should buyers use “Courageously Uncomfortable” reserve prices?  

And who do auctioneers really work for??  

 

Folks, these are just a few of the big questions we’re tackling today in an episode that’s all about the art of auctioning in Australia.  

Here to shed expert intel into this world is Justin Nickerson, Director of Apollo Auctions, the largest auctioneering business in Australasia, and the only Australian to win the Australasian Auctioneer of the Year 3 times in the award’s history.  

Justin is also the 5-time winner of the REIQ Auctioneer of the Year award, again being the only auctioneer in the state to achieve this distinction.   

Today, he’ll be using his knowledge earned at the coalface of auctions in Queensland (aka. some of the most challenging auctions) to share secret Buyers’ strategies that win from bidding quickly to keeping the pressure on to why online bidding might just work for you.  

He’ll give us a rare look into the Buyers experience of winning auctions, the crucial skills needed for those wanting to become an Auctioneer PLUS his craziest auction which saw 24.8M under the hammer 😮  

Yep, we know we blew this episode over our 1-hour mark, but BOY is it jam-packed with so many nuggets of wisdom. Seriously folks, tune in now!  

 

Free Stuff Mentioned

 

Timestamps

  • 0:00 – How Auctions Really Work: The Hybrids, Negotiations & Courageously Uncomfortable Reserve Prices 
  • 3:04 – Mindset Minute: Things don’t just happen, they happen just. 
  • 6:03 – Welcome Justin!  
  • 7:31 – Money Backstory: How he learned the power of compounding!  
  • 12:34 – The pivot into property 😊  
  • 17:13 – Should property be part of your wealth creation vehicle?  
  • 20:30 – From AFL to Auctions?!   
  • 25:38 – So you want to be an Auctioneer? These are the skills you need! 
  • 31:43 – Who do Auctioneers work for?  
  • 35:57 – Justin’s 2 fundamental beliefs & do Hybrid Auctions work?   
  • 38:22 – 15 Auctions in 1 day?! The Logistics behind Auctions 
  • 42:03 – Reserve Prices: Why you should be working with “Courageously Uncomfortable” Prices!  
  • 44:26 – Building trust during the auction 
  • 46:52 – Justin’s Top Bidding Strategies to Win  
  • 50:22 – Why bidding quickly works  
  • 53:08 – You should be watching the Buyers! Here’s why.  
  • 55:15 – $24.8M Under the Hammer?!  
  • 59:10 – What’s it like working in Prestigious Auctions?  
  • 1:02:00 – The Artform of Passing In at Auctions  
  • 1:04:49 – Online Bidding: “It’s all about choice.”  
  • 1:08:12 – Let’s Role Play: What would Justin do as a Buyer to secure a win  
  • 1:15:10 – Keeping an Open Mind  
  • 1:18: 24 – Thank you Justin! What an eye-opening episode 😊  

And… 

  • 1:22:04 – Lifehack: How to take notes for podcasts…  
  • 1:25:28 – WMPN: What’s really happening with Auction clearance rates??  

 

360 | The XYZ of Property Pricing: Getting The Rules of Engagement Right

Imagine this…

You found your ideal property in the perfect location. You’ve inspected it, you know exactly what the purchase price is going to be AND you’re pre-approved for that budget. You’ve spoken to the selling agent and is crystal clear with the vendor’s motivation. You negotiated some terms and put your best offer forward and BAM!! it got accepted right away. Happy days!

Unfortunately, it’s probably NOT going to happen in the current market.

When it comes to property prices, getting it exactly right would be perfect for buyers. But in a hot market, it’s very very hard for most buyers to nail it right away. Unless of course you’ve got a lot of spare time in your hand or you’ve engaged a professional to help you out. In today’s episode, we will share the XYZ of property pricing that our own buyer’s agent team are practicing and some of the tips that you can implement right away to get as close to the selling price as possible.

But… are you wondering if it’ll work in the current market and with all these new ways of transacting?

On top of that, with lockdown restrictions, how are you going to inspect properties and if you can’t, should you buy sight unseen?

That’s exactly what we are going to unpack today.

PLUS Bryce and Ben will also be addressing the big old Fixed Rate vs Variable Rate question. With the impending lending requirement changes (check it out in Ben’s RBA update), it’s probably best that you get your loan questions answered sooner rather than later!

Tune in now for the gold!

Q’s we answer further below 👇

 

Free Stuff Mentioned

  • Summer Series is around the corner and we’d like to hear from you! If you’ve gone through (or even going through) a financial transformation journey, let us know. We’d love to listen to your story! Simply fill in the form below or go to thepropertycouch.com.au/mystory
  • We are also looking for a few talented individuals to join our team! From a Journalist/Copywriter to an Associate Property Investment Advisor and more. If you’re interested, head to our Career Page here to learn more.


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The Questions We Answer

Question from Mark about Buying in Covid Lockdowns

I’m currently looking for a home in Melbourne to live in.
Over the last month because of COVID you haven’t been able to inspect any properties however in the last month there’s been about four properties in the same suburb that have sold sight unseen for about $50 to $100,000 above asking price.
Is there any way you can explain this behaviour and give me any advice on how to could compete against these people.

Recommended episodes for Mark:

 

 

Question from Tracey about Best Questions to ask a Real Estate Agent

Hi Property Couch Team!
Thanks for the podcasts it’s really driven myself and hubby and has given us the confidence to buy investment property, so much now that we’re looking to buy a second one and this one I’m looking at the Gold Coast.
My question is I have a good handful of properties that I’m looking and interested in but they’re nearly all at auction and I live in northern New South Wales.
When contacting a real estate what are the the first best questions to ask when you can’t go to view the property and you wanna see if it’s in your price range.

Recommended episode for Tracey:

 

 

Question about Interest Rates – Fixing Your Loan before buying an IP

Hi guys, first of all thanks for the great podcasts. I’ve been listening for a little while and super inspired with all the informative information.
Just a quick question about interest rates and whether or not I should lock in an interest rate before planning to buy an investment property.
So I’m about to buy an investment property within three months. What are your thoughts on locking in a fixed interest rate today rather than waiting for three months?

Related episodes:

 

 

Question from Rhys about Buying Off the Plan and Co-Living Spaces

Good day Bryce and Benji, Rhys here I just want to ask two questions if that’s OK?
First question relates to property advisors/buyers agents. The guy who I’ve been recommended by a friend I’m a bit skeptical of because he doesn’t charge outright and so he takes Commission from the sale of properties and these properties tend to be building like off the plan from developers or builders.
Second question relates to this, he’s really big on co-living spaces, you know for young professionals or whatever, who are seeking out shared living space just because of the rental yield.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. I love your show guys thanks for that

Related episodes:

 

 

340 | Auction Ready: How To Win In Any Market! – Chat with Veronica Morgan

Want the proven tactics and bidding tips to WIN at auction?!

Folks, this episode will help take the STRESS out of the intimidating auction process and give you the exact strategies professional Buyers Agents use to…

  • Master the buying process
  • Outsmart real estate agents
  • Beat the competition (without overpaying)
  • Avoid auction mistakes
  • …and, ultimately, secure the property!

Here to help us unpack ALL this – plus a whole heap of other must-know property and auction tips – is none other than our good friend Veronica Morgan, Founder and Principal of Good Deeds Property Buyers, co-host of The Elephant in the Room, Bryce’s co-host of Location, Location, Location Australia, and arguably one of the BEST Buyers Agents in the country.

Together, we’re going to get you auction ready!

You’ll learn how to navigate auctions in a HOT property market (like a pro!) and get the epic EVERGREEN bidding tips that’ll confuse your competition so the auctioneer will drop their hammer on YOUR final “I can still sleep at night” bid.

Sound good?

Tune in now to get a complete walkthrough of the entire buying process – enjoy!

Free Stuff…

Here’s What We Cover…

  • Understanding your Buyer Profile: How it affects you at auction!
  • Why do most people hate auctions?
  • What are the benefits of auctions for buyers?
  • How to spot the frightened buyer…
  • What do you always need to do BEFORE you purchase property?
  • What real estate agents know that you don’t!!
  • What details SHOULD you tell the agent?
  • How to work out how much the property is worth
  • How to set your maximum bid
  • What To Do On Auction Day: Your Prep Checklist!
  • What are the 12 “Behavioural Biases” that make people irrational buyers under auction conditions?
  • Top Auction Tips For A HOT Property Market
  • 5 Powerful Bidding Tactics That Work!
  • What are the 7 Types of Auction Bidders?
  • The 4 Bidding Mistakes That Cripple Property Buyers! (ouch…)
  • The Post-Auction Process: What To Do, What Not To Do
  • The 8 Types of Real Estate Agents!
  • What are the best type of real estate agents?
  • Bidding With ODD Numbers: Why It Works And Why You Should Do It Too
  • The Quickest Way To Work Out Who Your Competition Is!
  • Wait, what…people bid against themselves!?!….
  • Vendor Bids: How can you use them to your advantage?
  • The $1 Million Dollar Bidding Mistake That You Have To Hear To Believe…

 

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