Absolute or “with reserve” auction?

Many homeowners seek the best way to sell their property, and auction marketing often emerges as a practical choice. When you look closely at the options, absolute auctions favor the seller. Published minimum bid auctions also place the seller in a strong position. They expand the bidder pool. They increase competitive tension. The pricing often exceeds what seller confirmation or secret reserve formats deliver. Buyers behave very differently when they know exactly how the auction will work. […]

https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2025/12/01/absolute-or-with-reserve-auction/

What is your reputation?

Your auctioneer brand is your professional reputation in motion. It is the combination of your character, competence, and consistency. It is how bidders, sellers, attorneys, and the public describe you when you are not in the room. In auctioneering, perception and performance must align. Authenticity is not a marketing tactic. It is a professional obligation. Auctioneering is a people centered business built on trust. If bidders question your fairness, or sellers question your transparency, […]

https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2025/11/30/what-is-your-reputation/

The “problem” appears later?

Many auctioneers eventually deal with consignors who bring items that look acceptable at intake. Later, these items reveal issues once cataloging begins. It is a power tool that no longer runs. It's a collectible that is not authentic. There is a vehicle missing a title that the consignor forgot to mention. These problems usually only occur once or twice in an auction. Still, even a few can disrupt bidder confidence. They also add stress to your staff. A reliable process begins at check-in […]

https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2025/11/29/the-problem-appears-later/

All genuine, scarce … but clearly not?

It is always entertaining when an auction company proudly proclaims that genuineness, scarcity, and quality are what they sell, while the terms quietly suggest none of those things should actually be relied upon. Bidders are invited to chase treasures and rare finds, yet the fine print politely explains that nothing said about the items is guaranteed. The thrill comes with a subtle warning: buyer beware. The irony is thick because bidders are enticed by promises of exceptional items, yet the […]

https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2025/11/27/all-genuine-scarce-but-clearly-not/

NAA Headquarters Auction

The National Auction Association’s decision to offer its headquarters property at auction marks a significant and carefully considered step in how the organization positions itself for the future. The announcement that the headquarters building auction is officially live shows that this is not just another real estate disposition; it is a strategic choice supported by changing operational needs and long-term planning for member-focused services. Full property details are available at […]

https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2025/11/26/naa-headquarters-auction/

As if the absentee bidder were part of the audience?

For the most part, absentee and proxy (online) bidders want to bid as if they were part of the audience. For example, someone bids $7,500, and then they can bid $7,600 and be the high bidder. If someone else bids $7,700, they can bid again at $7,800 and be the high bidder again. I found an interesting auctioneer policy that tends to suggest conflicting terms in this regard. On the one hand, the absentee bidder's maximum (limit) is known, but if the live bidder bids that same amount (first), […]

https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2025/11/25/as-if-the-absentee-bidder-were-part-of-the-audience/

Sole and absolute discretion?

Auctions attract drama like bees to honey, but chaos is optional. Clear rules keep bidders confident, the auction moving, and your reputation intact. You post your terms, hope someone reads them, and pray they follow them. Then reality strikes, and suddenly, fine print is treated like optional homework. Welcome to the magical world where discretion meets human nature. This is where legal reminders like Alex Lyon & Son, Sales Managers & Auctioneers, Inc. v. Leach, 846 S.E.2d 51 (W. Va. 2020) […]

https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2025/11/24/sole-and-absolute-discretion/

You need MLS? You don’t.

Welcome to 2026, when the MLS finally reveals itself for what it really is: a nostalgia club that loves charging dues while pretending it matters. Joining the National Association of Realtors costs about $200 a year, not terrible on its own. But local boards have perfected hidden fees, insisting you join the state association and the local board just to access the MLS. Annual dues easily top $1,000, a lot for a system buyers barely notice. Auctioneers and brokers who actually sell property […]

https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2025/11/22/you-need-mls-you-dont/

Auctioneers giving up NAR membership?

The announcement that starting January 1, 2026, NAR membership will no longer be required for MLS access arrived with loud fanfare, as if the industry had discovered fire. In reality, it feels more like a last minute attempt to slow the legal bleeding after already owing at least $418 million. Litigation squeezed hard, and suddenly leadership found courage that had been missing for several decades. For years, agents were trained to believe that NAR membership was the sacred key to the MLS, a […]

https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2025/11/20/auctioneers-giving-up-nar-membership/

Whatnot, $11.5 billion? the future?

By early 2025, Whatnot had become one of the most aggressively valued platforms in the live commerce space. Its January Series E financing brought in $265 million and placed the company just under a $5 billion valuation. That announcement came with another milestone, which was that livestream-driven transactions on the platform had exceeded $3 billion during 2024. The momentum continued throughout the year. In October, investors committed another $225 million in a Series F round that […]

https://mikebrandlyauctioneer.wordpress.com/2025/11/18/whatnot-11-5-billion-the-future/