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

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

Well, needless to say, this has been one amazing weekend! When was the last time we can remember having 15+ inches of rain? There has been flooding all over. Anyone seeing the news or has been on Facebook can attest to how amazing this weekend has been.And to add to the list of amazing, was how people came out for the auctions in the middle of it all this past Saturday. Our company had two great sales thanks to people coming out despite the weather.

This got me to thinking about some of the craziest weather in which we have ever held auctions. So, for the next few weeks, I thought I would share some of those stories.

I have always said that if you get asked to work at one of our auctions for the first time, you better prepare yourself, cause it is going to be a doozy. This held true for Chris Helson when he first joined us for an auction back in the late 90’s. We had one of those sales booked that you knew from the start it was going to be a LONG day. I mean, this house was packed full of things to sale, and many of them were things that would bring good money. So just to start it off, we knew we would be there for awhile.

Then the fun was added to when a large front moved in for the weekend, and the skies poured cats and dogs ALL day. We were literally draining pockets of water off the tent all day, walking in 3-6 inches of mud, and just as wet as we could get. And amazingly, as history has proven true. people came out by the droves for this auction sale. Our tenet was packed, and no matter the torents of rain, people were there to bid and to buy. What a day!

Do you remember an auction where the weather was “out of the ordinary!” If so, let me know!

Ray Carman

This is the last week for memorable items from this past 100 years. Although, I may throw in some more as time goes by.

This weeks item is one that was really amazing to see. Back in the mid 90’s, we had an auction on Pumpkin Branch Road, which is on the Macon and Trousdale County line. We were selling an older home and lot and lots of great antiques. In two of the rooms were some old, late 1800’s, high back beds. And they were AMAZING.

But it was not just the bed itself that was so memorable, but rather what was on the back f them. We had sold many high backs before, and since that day, but NEVER had we sold ones that had this written on the back “Bought at ….. Estate Auction. Sold by Jim Carman. Paid $1.75″

You see, Jim Carman is my Great Grandfather and is the one who started this amazing run for the past 100 years in our family. He held many auctions in that very area over the years, and often when a large item was sold, they would right the # of the buyer on the back. However, this individual decided to mark the beds with what auction they were bought and how much they paid. It truly was a still moment in history as I held up the headboard and my father, Harold Gene Carman Jr, auctioned off a piece that we know for certain was sold by the patriarch of our family business. I will always remember that day and that bed.

If you have a memory of my family and our auctions, I would love to hear them.

Have a great week and we will see you again soon!

Ray Carman

Yes, we will be having two auctions today, RAIN or Shine. One is 25 acres and home over near Red Boiling Springs. Lots of nice personal property too. Starts at 10am.

Crew #2 will be in Westmoreland at 10am offering 18 super choice investment/development acres with sewer, gas, and water available.

So come on out and see us at one of these great auction sales!

Ray Carman

Memorable Item #3.

I first want to say I am sorry for getting this up so late today, I have been running around al day delivering auction brochures, making auction proposals, and helping my dear wife get things ready for her BIG weekend yard sale. But enough of the excuses.

Back in the early 90’s, we were fortunate enough to have an auction in Gainesboro TN for an estate near the square. This was an older brick home, and had an amazing lifetime collection stored in this house. In the basement was where we found memorable item #3.

It was an old safe.

Not just an old safe, it was an extremely heavy, well made, hard to move, but had to come up a narrow staircase old safe. I was a young-ling at the time, in my late teens, and would have figured I could have moved the world. I do not think there had been much we had found that I and my brother, Gene Carman III, could not find a way to get out of a house. But this thing, Oh MY!

And the narrow staircase made for it to be all the more interesting. It took four, young, strong backed, and weak minded men, to get this thing out. We had even rented a very heavy duty hand truck to help us move it, and during the move it fell and dented the hand truck, to the point my dad had to buy it from the moving company from which it was rented.

I do not remember what it brought, but I remember the journey very well. I even remember it was purchased by a local attorney across the street and we wheeled it to his office and put it in the closet of his personal office. And if I were guessing, it is still there.

Hope you all have a great week and can come see us for what may be our very next memorable item!

Ray Carman

Well, as time has slipped by, we have sold countless items at numerous sales. But there are always those few items that will forever stick out to you as you move along. Kinda like the garden hoe we had to sale over and over at auction school in Indiana.

The second item I will never forget was a common, ordinary walking stick.

We were having an auction for an estate in which an elderly man had passed away. He had a nice assortment of antiques and items in his house that we sold for the family. I remember he was well liked and loved as many relatives were in attendance this particular day.

As we have auctions, often someone will bring an item or a box of items and ask us to auction them separately or right away as they may have to go or just want to see it sell. On this day, someone brought up a common ordinary walking stick which the gentleman had used on a daily bases. It was a simple wooden stick with your typical cane hook. Now usually these will sell as a handful and bring $5-$10. But this day, something different took place.

The bidding started at what you might imagine, just a few dollars. But then it started going up, and up, and up. Two family members were bidding and both were in tears. They each wanted this item extremely bad, as a memory from the man who had passed. They cried, and they bid, and they kept going till this common stick had reached the price of $400. Yes, I said four hundred dollars.

When it was all said and done, they hugged each other, and life has carried on. But as a young an working the auction, I have never forgotten how the memory of a person can be left so deep in ones heart, that even a simple stick can become the symbol of your life to those who loved you!

Have a great week!

Ray Carman