Under the hammer at an In Room Auction

It’s winter. The potential for the cold, rain and wind to spoil the sale of your most important asset at a traditional on-site auction is high.

THAT’S just one of the reasons Ray White Ballarat has embraced the in-room auction concept and will be holding their second such event for the year in a couple of weeks.

While the Ballarat weather was just one reason the firm has championed the in-room auction concept, there are many others.

“In Victoria legislations says that we don’t have to register bidders,” said Will Munro, Residential Sales Consultant with Ray White Ballarat. “As part of our process for the In Room Auction we register bidders and give them paddles so we can identify who’s clearly bidding.”

Set to go under the hammer on Monday, 24 June at Oscars are homes in Lake Wendouree and Mount Pleasant, two prime commercial properties in Ballarat Central and an acreage in Clunes.

The variance in property type and the higher volume of offerings also brings benefits.

“It’s a great mix and it creates the feeling of more competition in the room,” said Phillip Lee, Director, Ray White Ballarat.

Fellow Director, Trevor Booth, also saw other upsides.

“It’s a very professional environment,” he said. “From a buyer’s point-of-view they turn up and the whole night is run very professionally. People feel comfortable knowing that they’re walking into a space where they are going to be treated well.”

While in the past Ray White Ballarat have brought in an external broker to handle proceedings, freeing up the firm’s Directors and agents to interact with sellers and buyers, this time round experienced auctioneer Mr Booth will run the show.

Mr Lee will be handling the tech side of things including live streaming proceedings on gavl.com.

Ray White Ballarat have been conducting the In Room Auction events since 2016 and the upcoming one will be the agency’s 17th.

“A lot of Ray White offices around Australia and Victoria have been doing them for several years and have had really great success,” Mr Munro said.

“We just felt it was a point of difference in Ballarat. Agents who do auctions are generally on-site, and we do them as well, but we thought let’s be different in the marketplace, let’s create a bit of an event for people to come along and buy a property.”

It’s not just homes, offices and acreage going under the hammer. The agency also conducts a charity auction at the sales.

So far Ray White has raised over $2500 for local charities by offering up their signature yellow tricycles at the in-room auctions.

This time round proceeds will go to the Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal, but in the past beneficiaries have included the 3BA Winter Appeal, The Ballarat Hospice and the region’s Rotary Clubs.