Greg Parker from RE/MAX Regency, Robina, had claimed the title in 2015, while Paul Gaffney from RE/MAX Executives, Holland Park was last year’s winner.
With New Zealand contender Eric Chase from RE/MAX Zest in Remuera unable to make it to the Convention because of unforeseen circumstances, Ben Kloppers from RE/MAX Realty Group in Warkworth nobly stepped in and gave the other two competitors a good run for their money despite the desperately little preparation time he’d had.
The judges scoring the auctioneers as their skills were put to the test conducting a mock auction while they worked their way through some curly questions from the floor and negotiated tricky mental arithmetic were Gordon McDonald, auctioneer and founder of the Auction Group; Troy Dowse from the REA Group; and RE/MAX Board Chairman Adrian Lane-Mullins.
The ‘listing’ was a small Milton Queenslander less than five kilometres to Brisbane’s CBD.
RE/MAX Realty Group Warkworth
Location proved the property’s greatest selling point and a source of humour through its proximity to Suncorp Stadium (think Australia-New Zealand sporting rivalry!).
Paul Gaffney showed great local knowledge to highlight ‘position’ while also keeping an amusing wedding/marriage analogy running through his auction.
All ‘sold’ the property under the hammer for $895,000, but the big winner on the day – the man to claim the 2017 RE/MAX Auctioneer of the Year title – was Greg Parker.
RE/MAX Executives, Holland Park
Contenders for the annual competition complete intense training with acclaimed auctioneers each year before finalists are selected.
“The course covers important auction skills and processes in a practical environment and is fantastic for building confidence in public speaking and understanding the auction process whether someone is considering becoming an auctioneer or not,” said RE/MAX Professional Development Manager Melanie Marsh.
