Ray Carman – Auctioneer

Yes, I know, been WAY too long, even after asking to be held accountable. To be honest, I have just had a TON going on in life.  Most of it really good, so I hope you will be patient with me as I go through this.

I have been holding this story for three weeks now. But I know it will bring a laugh to your day.

We were over in east TN conducting an auction on a Saturday morning. The sale went longer than we thought, and this only had a consequence as my dad had booked another auction for that afternoon. So we all loaded up and were in a hurry racing back to make the next auction sale.

At this time, my now wife, Katie, was riding with me on the way there. We were hauling our 28 foot mobile office, and had piggy backed on that, our port-o-lets. Just east of Cookeville, tragedy struck, I HAD TO GO TO THE BATHROOM, BAD!!!!!!!! I mean, I HAD to go. Then the next tragedy hit, TRAFFIC!

Yes, all the sudden we found ourselves in bumper to bumper traffic. We were inching along. And I was in torture. So, I looked at Katie, who was 16 at the time, and said, “Grab the wheel!” She had a look of confusion on her face, but she did it. As I hopped out of the truck and ran to the back and hopped in the potty. A minute later, I hopped out and ran back to the truck and hopped in. People were looking at me with amusement and curiousity. I even had someone ask if they could use it!!!!!

And that is not all the day held. We were in the left hand lane on the interstate, and as I move up, I notice my dad getting off on a exit, but I could not get over in time in the bumper to bumper traffic. So, I scooted over and at the ramp to enter the interstate, I whipped that whole rig around and went down the ramp the wrong way.

After all that, we barely made the next sale on time and had another great auction sale.

Hope you have a great week!

I know there is alot of talk about the economy and how “bad” things are. Retail stores are wrestling with what to do and how to survive. Some places are having to shut down. People are looking jobs. There is uncertainty in the Real Estate Market. Things shift daily. But in the midst of it all, there is still a shining star, AUCTIONS!

I will be the first to admit that I am a little fish in a large sea when it comes to the whole of the world. Each persons worldview is skewed by their current surroundings. But I want to share with you what I have seen over the past few months.

In May, we had an auction on some Caney Fork River property. To be honest, everyone was a little concerned about how it would go, including us. On the day of the auction sale, we were nervous when at 9:30 (sale was scheduled to start at 10), there was only a hand full of people. Nerves were on edge for sure. As the crew gathered for prayer just minutes before the auction began, something happened, and as we emerged, the tent was bursting with people anxious to buy. Then, a farm we were hoping would bring $600k brought $892,000! And the crowd was amazing.

Then, this past Saturday, July 10th, 2010, we were scheduled to have an estate auction in Portland TN. Involved were 2 houses, some collector classic cars, old toys, guns, and normal household furniture and tools. We (all the auctioneers locally) will be the first to admit that things are somewhat down in pricing) and I was expecting 70 or so people to attend. At auction time, we were bursting at the seams and more than 150 individuals had come to be a part of the auction. Both the houses exceeded expectations, as did the vehicles.   And what might even be more surprising, was that a tonka toy truck, complete with its original box, brought over $300! And again, the crowd was great, and bidding went very well.

All that to say, Auctions are still drawing out the crowds and doing well, and here is why:

1. It is a one day opportunity to buy the marketed item. By putting it on the “block,” buyers must decide quickly if they are in or out. They do not have the luxury of waiting and thinking it over.

2.  People are forced to compete, and by nature, we are a competitive race and everyone wants to “win.” This allows for good prices to still be obtained.

If you have an estate, or Real Estate you want to see moved, speaking to an Auctioneer may be a good conversation to have. You never know, it may just be the method of marketing you need to see the results you are seeking!

Ray Carman, Auctioneer with Gene Carman Real Estate and Auction

Or better said, I have forgotten to post memories on Memory Monday in quite awhile. I actually was approached about this today in person by someone who pointed out my lack of posting on the subjects of memories. My response was simple, ” I have forgotten the Memory Mondays!”

First, let me apologize. I really should be more vigilant in getting these video post done. They are not hard to do and do not take alot of time.

Secondly, keep me accountable! Hold my feet to the fire. Prompt me by suggesting topics for me to post on. I want you to push me to stay connected and energetic on this blog. It is more than just stories, it is an opportunity to share about a great industry, Auctions in America.

SO there it is. I have my work cut out. Memory Monday is around the corner, and boy do I have a doosie to tell you!

Ray Carman

Just wanted to take a second and wish you all a happy and safe 4th of July weekend.

Remember, Freedom isn’t Free!

Two great auctions today. Be sure to come out and see us.

10am, Smith Co, 73 acres in 2 tracts:

Then at 2pm, will be in Gallatin for an Estate Auction including a house, furniture, antiques, tools, and collectibles:

Come on out and see us!

and I tend to have those, meaning opinions.

This past weekend, I attended an “auction” held by the court clerk. The reason I put “auction” in parentheses is because, in my opinion, it was a mockery of the auction industry. And, in my opinion, the heirs of the estate involved, and the surrounding community, were done wrong! How? Well, again, here is my opinion.

1. The court clerk is not trained in advertising, conducting, or administrating an auction. In truth, the clerk has no true invested interest in what the property brings.  Therefore, they did not take the proper time needed to sell the property in question. In fact, from where I stood, it appeared they were in a hurry, possibly due to the heat of the day.

2. Due to no invested interest or reputation at stake, the property sold too quickly, and too cheaply. From what I gathered, it was about half price to its true value even in today’s off market.

3. This means the heirs of this estate have been cheated out of their true inheritance that was left by a loved one. Very sad!

4. This also means that the property in the area has now been devalued because a farm in the area sold so cheaply and will be seen as a comparable sale for future reference. This in turn hurts the whole county.

Now who is to blame for this. No finger can be pointed in a single direction. However, there was a judge, three attorneys, and multiple heirs involved, not to mention the court clerk. Out of all these people, you would think someone would have considered these factors when deciding the direction of the sale of this property. In my opinion, even the worst auction company could have outdone the court clerk by many $1000’s of dollars in the final price of this farm. I have heard judges use the “auctioneers commission” saved as an excuse for the clerk sales, however, the county charges a percentage to do the sale, and if an auctioneer can add great value to the final sales total, then a commission is in essence a cheap price to pay for the family to gain their full inheritance. Example, this farm could have brought another $50,000 to $100,000. Say the auctioneer charges twice the commission and is at 6%, then the estate would have paid $3k to $6k in mission, but gained $47,000 to $94,000 in inheritance. See the point?

All that to say, if you have an estate, PLEASE think it through before agreeing to a court run auction. I know an auctioneer will charge a commission, however, the gain you will see in the inheritance you receive, will far outweigh the commission you pay. Court run sales do NOT serve the family, the community, or the property, justice…….

IN MY OPINION!

How time does slip away. I have missed tow Monday Memories and have not been on in over a week. That is terrible and I am sorry.

However, there has been a reason for such a tardiness, we have been busy, which I am very thankful for. We have had several auctions we have done and many more come in. I do hope you will excuse me for not being here and getting you the memory Mondays and keeping you up to date.

I also hope you have been able to keep up with our upcoming auctions here and over at our home site, www.CarmanRealEstate.com. We have many exciting opportunities coming up for you over the next month and I hope you can be a part.

If you ever have an auction question, please let me know, I will do all I can to help. Until then, you come see us and we will get it SOLD!

Ray Carman

If you are an auction enthusiast, you will not want to miss our sale tomorrow! Check them out!

or this one

See you there!!!!
Ray Carman

This month we are talking about memorable weather days at our auctions. Last week we remembered a very messy and rainy day, today, we are going to talk about surprise weather.

It was a normal spring type day in TN and we were over in Bethpage. The day started out quite normal with some cloudy skies. But as the day moved on, it kept getting older. Before I knew it, the rain turned to snow, and before the auction was over, we had 3 or so inches of snow on the ground.

It was quite the extraordinary day for sure.