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Renaissance Auction Group
Blog Entry
Things are always changing
Recent discussions have suggested a declining interest in live auctions while news stories report antique shows limiting the number of days open or dropping a show entirely. These reports have the usual wringing of hands and forcasting of doom. Everything is always changing. Perhaps these concerns are just burps in a long cycle or the beginnings of an evolutionary shift in buying and selling in the secondary/collecting market. Around my area live auctions selling real estate have grown ten-fold in the last six or seven years. There are still many live auctions selling personal property but anecdotal evidence suggests the quantity of such auctions is decreasing. Certainly the prices paid for standard auction fare have decreased. I wonder what real estate agents and brokers feel about auctioneers taking such a large step into that field? I guess change in one area can cause changes in other areas. An auctioneer can make more money selling one average house than he/she can make in almost any personal property sale. Change is not always bad and is part of a natural process. It is difficult to imagine anything which can be done (on a large scale) to redirect trends. People still come to my auctions for a social event. We do much to encourage that feeling. But if I sell crap, or gas prices force select travel, or buyers sit at computers even the social draw will not help. I am trying to be proactive and part of that is recognizing change is always happening and there is little to be done by wringing my hands and crying, "Alas"! I have taken the first step in accepting I have a problem. Perhaps we can talk about some proactive steps?
8/22/2006 11:31:50 AM
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