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- It's a Low Point for High Point July 28, 2010Vornado Realty Trust is opting to forfeit a 2 million-square-foot furniture mart in High Point, N.C., to holders of its $191 million securitized mortgage. […]
Posts Tagged ‘best real estate auctions’
Auctions
With the ever changing real estate market a centuries old process of buying and selling has resurfaced. Buying at Auctions are becoming one of the most attractive ways to buy real estate no matter if it is your primary residence, vacation home, or investment property. To many people in Chicago a real estate auction is foreign to their way of thinking regarding the purchase of their condo or home, but auctions have long been the primary means of buying real estate in other parts of the country, particularly the south. Auctions are the relatively simple process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the winning bidder. The definition above is the basic auction form but there are several variations, including time limits, minimum or maximum limits on bid prices, and special rules for determining the winning bidder or sale price. Many times the participants may or may not know the identities or actions of the other bidders and they can participate in a variety of ways, such as by telephone, or internet.
Essentially there are three types of auctions. An absolute auction, or an auction without a reserve where the subject property is sold to the highest bidder regardless of the amount of the winning bid. Since the sale is guaranteed regardless of price buyer excitement and participation is heightened. This type of auction generates maximum response from the market, thereby ensuring attaining true market value.
Minimum bid auction where an auctioneer accepts bids at or over a published price is the next type of auction. For sellers it reduces the risk of the subject property being sold less than what the seller is willing to take or the property does not sell. For buyers they know at what price the property will ultimately sell, minimum bid or possibly higher. The key here is for the seller to set the minimum bid low enough to attract the interest of buyers but not too low to sell below market value.
The last type of auction is the reserve auction. In simple terms with a reserve auction the high bid is reduced to an offer not a sale. The seller reserves the right to accept or reject the highest bid within a specified period of time, usually 48 to 72 hours. The down side of this type of auction is many times prospective buyers will not invest their time and energy since there is no certainty they will be able to buy the property even if they are the highest bidder.
Selling at Auction
When most people think of auctions they think of buying but in order to buy someone must be willing to sell. Selling at auction for real estate is definitely not for everyone. In the best of situations your property should be in the same price range as all the other properties in the auction. The last thing you want to see is that the majority of the properties in the auction are derelict homes in a low value area when you are trying to auction off your four bedroom, 3 bath, updated kitchen and family room home. You are most likely to not have much luck selling your home at market value since everyone at the auction is comparing prices on the other available properties.
Selling at auction requires a legal agreement and most auctioneers will wish to enter into a sole agency agreement. This means they will advertise your property in brochures and catalogues on your behalf with the understanding you will be liable for the costs of that advertising, as well as a portion of the room fee, regardless of whether someone buys your property or not. This may not seem fair but in reality you will have a hard time finding an auction company who will sell your property without such a legal, binding agreement. And these may not be the only fees involved so find out about the charges before you sign any documents. Once you have satisfied yourself with the agreements you should discuss pricing. Find out the likely market value of your property and seek advice at what price to advertise as the reserve bid.
Now that you have everything in place there is nothing left but attend the auction. As the seller you must attend the auction due to a variety of reasons, one of which is you may want to take a lower offer than the advertised reserve bid to get your property sold. When the gavel goes down that last time it signifies the agreement of a binding contract between buyer and seller and you have sold your home at true market value. The buyer must now pay 10% of the total sale price before leaving the auction house and in most cases must pay off the remaining balance in 30-45 days. Your responsibility as the seller is to guarantee your ability to legally convey the property to the new buyer. Selling at auction has its advantages for buyer and seller and can be the way to go depending on your motivation and comfort level.