We want to thank Mike Grigg, “Mike the Auctioneer”, for his outstanding assistance at our second annual “Evening of Wishes” dinner dance benefiting the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Central California on January 30, 2010. Mike’s expertise as a charity auctioneer created an incredible bottom line for us during a time when many non-profits have been hit hard by the recession. He helped to create a professional atmosphere during our silent auction, and his energy and skill at handling the crowd during the live auction pushed our net profit up beyond our wildest expectations! We are thrilled to have increased our monies taken in this year, and Mike will be a definite part of our next event.
Sincerely,
Heather Abbott
Assistant Event Chair, Evening of Wishes
Make-A-WishÒ Foundation of Central California
Hi Mike,
Thank you so very much for all you did to contribute to the success of our event – you were STELLAR!!! We never would have been able to reach our fundraising goal without you and you made it so fun and painless! J We were all extremely concerned about trying to pack so much into the evening – the silent auction, silent/live board, 12 live auction items, paddle raiser and then a long program to boot! – but you kept things moving at such an energizing pace that it all flew by before we knew it! We couldn’t have been happier. Thank you so much for helping us raise money to ensure Tri-City Medical Center will be able to continue saving lives with top-notch care and services.
Warmly,
Betsy Bracken
Senior Event Specialist
Citrus Special Events|Citrus Public Relations
Mike Grigg was the auctioneer for our “Evening of Wishes” dinner dance gala held in Bakersfield, California for the Make-A-WishÒ Foundation of Central California in February 2009. His expertise and professional delivery helped us to break all records for first year fund raising here in the Central Valley!
Mike studied the items before the event and exhibited a comfortable knowledge about each item as he handled the crowd. He made our live auction exciting, rapid and very polished. The attendees commented on how much they enjoyed the professional and classy delivery of our auctioneer. The time did not drag, and people had so much fun as he pushed those bids higher and higher!
We are planning our next gala for 2010, and we definitely want Mike on board!
Heather Abbott
Assistant Event Chair, Evening of Wishes
Make-A-WishÒ Foundation of Central California
Dear Mike,
My partner and I would like to thank you guys for selling our fixer-upper. We were VERY happy with the price the auction generated. We bought the property for $75K and were hoping to sell it for at least $90K, maybe $100K if we were lucky. To our surprise and delight, the final sales price was $134K! That's almost twice what we paid for it -- we got a retail price without having to do any repairs!
I have to admit, I was a little hesitant about writing a $5,500 check for marketing expenses, but it was money well spent. I was impressed when your marketing program produced 44 groups at our Open House, and I was amazed when 38 registered bidders actually showed up at the auction! Believe it or not, I had problems finding parking on the day of the auction because there were so many cars parked up and down the street! I don't know how you guys marketed our property, but it worked.
I'd also like to commend your staff for being courteous, professional, and keeping me informed every step of the way. I was especially impressed on the day of the auction. From the signs placed at major intersections (helping bidders find our auction), to the accommodations for the heat (the sun shade, umbrellas, and drinks), to the conduct of the auction itself, you guys did a first class job.
Even after the auction, your creative idea reduced our anticipated 45-day escrow to a 10-day escrow. We expect to receive our profit check next week, rather than next month. You're a valuable member of our team and we appreciate your efforts.
We look forward to selling many more houses. We highly recommend Mike Grigg to anyone who wants to get the highest price for their property.
Thanks again,
Bob Uyeda
Dear Mike Grigg and the Auction team:
I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful job you guys did! I could not be happier with the auction process and result for my home at 1107 El Paso Dr. Los Angeles Ca.
As you know, my home was in need of a lot of repairs, and the auction process enabled me to sell the home with minimal repairs, while still reaping the highest possible price.
I thought I would share my thoughts with you on the whole experience so you can help others like me. In my situation, my home needed a lot of cosmetic, termite/dry-rot, structural, and other repairs. I did not want to spend the money to fix these problems; however, I did want to sell the property. I could have listed the house in the "normal" way, but I felt that if I had done that there would have been a good chance (because of the numerous repairs needed) that the home would have sat on the market for many months, and may not have even sold. Timing was VERY important to me, as the real estate market seemed to be going down in value. (Asking prices had dropped about 10% in my area over a two-month period). What I needed was URGENCY---A reason for buyers to buy my house in as-is condition-NOW. And that is why I went with the auction format.
I met with Mike and we discussed his marketing plan. It was VERY intensive, involving numerous print and newspaper spots, direct mail, internet, property signs, as well as signs that Mike personally placed throughout the neighborhood. All of the ads generated a lot of a calls and interest, which Mike focused on to the one open house where people came to view the home.
We disclosed all of the repairs needed to the home in the bidders packet, and this package was given out to anyone who requested it, as well as to all those who registered to bid. We had over 120 people attend the open house! Seeing all those people really generated urgency as buyers felt this was a great opportunity.
One week after the open house was our auction day. On auction day we had 15 bidders register (they have to bring a cashiers check to bid) and about 60-70 people in total showed up. The type of auction I chose was an absolute auction. This means the home will sell regardless of the end price. This type of auction will generate the most interest; however there are other types of auctions Mike can do including minimum bid auctions, or seller confirmation auctions where the seller can refuse the end price. The absolute auction fit my needs best.
Mike started the auction at $100,000, but quickly got it up to $300,000. Here is where Mike did a GREAT job! He really "worked" the crowd by getting the people bidding against each other. I truly do not think this would have happened had I merely listed the home in the "normal" way. Through his efforts Mike was able to work the bid all the way up to $379,000! And per auction rules 10% was then added on to make $416,900. This is another GREAT aspect of the auction process as the bidders can lose track of the final price. (Keep in mind Mike and the Elite Auctions Team represents YOUR interest as the seller!). Once the bidding is over, the winner must give his cashiers check to Mike. If the buyer backs out for ANY reason he will lose the money. This is yet another reason why I went with the auction method! In most "normal" sales if the buyer does not get a loan or other reason he can back out and he will not lose anything!! With an auction format the buyer WILL lose the deposit if he does not complete the sale for any reason!
Now with the auction over Mike took the deposit and we opened escrow. 31 days later we closed escrow without any problems and….BIG SUCCESS….My problem home was SOLD!!! By the way, had I listed in the "normal" way I feel that I would have asked $385,000 to $400,000 (Based on other homes listed for sale in the area). In fact, I even had offered to sell the house a year ago to a neighbor who was interested for only $350,000 (with no commissions), but she refused the offer! By selling via an auction I was able to get $67,000 more than I had offered to sell the house to a neighbor! Even after the auction costs and commission I still got $30,000 MORE than if I had sold to the neighbor, AND the real estate market had gone down in value since I had made the original offer to the neighbor one year ago. I cannot thank Mike and his team enough for all their efforts! The entire process was very professional and I would defiantly recommend Mike and his team to anyone. Please feel free to show this letter to anyone interested in the auction process, or feel free to have anyone contact me if they would like a personal referral, or if they have questions about my experience with your company.
Once again, Thank you very much,
Mark Fink
To Mike Grigg, I had the pleasure of working with your establishment through my recent Real Estate transaction. I was unsure at first because I had not heard of purchasing a home this way. Mike made me feel comfortable and the transaction went very smooth. Thank you I will use this route again in the future
Sincerely,
Cherie M.
Auction was staged well and professionally run. The whole process was simple.
A. Allas
I appreciate how personable and professional your staff treated me and the bidders. You created such an exciting atmosphere! It was AWESOME!
James G.
I was very satisfied with the entire process. Mike and his group did a fantastic job. I would use them again.
M. Hellman
