How to Find an Auction Company to Sell My House
Finding a reputable real estate auctioneer involves verifying that the auctioneer is licensed, checking references and consulting national and state professional associations that many auctioneers belong to. These organizations police their own members in order to keep the profession honest and reputable. They also have lists of qualified real-estate auctioneers that you can consult.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Consult the list of qualified auctioneers maintained by the National Auctioneers Association (NAA). Members are required to abide by a code of ethics designed to protect the customer and the profession from dishonest practices. Members who violate the code are investigated and, if found guilty, lose their membership. The NAA provides a search page that allows you to find residential, land and commercial real estate professionals.
-
2
Check with your state, once you have a list of potential auctioneers, to verify that they are licensed. While the NAA verifies licensing, the state will be the first to know if a license has expired or been revoked. The name of the state agency responsible differs from state to state, so find yours using an internet search with the terms "license real estate auction" along with the name of your state. In Illinois, for example, the Division of Professional Regulation handles these matters, and allows you to search a business's name to see if it is licensed.
-
-
3
Ask the auctioneer for references and follow up on them. Consult a good, local real-estate broker or banker for advice on quality auctioneers. Many auctioneers have been in business a long time and are well known locally. Another way to check is to attend various real estate auctions to see how well they are run and to talk with other people who attend about the auctioneer's performance.
-
4
Consult your state's professional auction societies by doing an internet search using the words "auction association, society" or "guild," along with your state's name. In Indiana, for example, this strategy yields the Indiana Auctioneers Association, which provides you with a membership directory that you can search and vets its members for high qualifications and good ethics, policing them the same way the National Auctioneers Association does. Both organizations also offer continuing education for their members. Indiana's organization also has an auction alert button, where you may sign up to receive notice of impending auctions in your area, which will allow you to meet auctioneers and ask questions.
-
1
