On a sunny afternoon in Florida, an energetic crowd gathers on the lawn of a high end luxury estate. A loud and eager banter between an auctioneer, a group of bidders and bidder assistants fills the air. For several minutes the auctioneer asks for the next highest bid and the bidders respond. Suddenly the bidders grow silent. The high bidder holds his breath in anticipation of winning the auction. The auctioneer calls for one more bid. In a loud clear voice which rolls over the audience he says, “Fair warning, last chance” the auctioneer pauses, “SOLD!” And in less than 10 minutes another multimillion dollar estate has changed owners.

Successful real estate auctions like the one above are happening all over North America and the Caribbean. Recently real estate auctions have been on the rise, the increase in popularity is partly driven by growing inventories and fading buyer confidence. Properties that were selling in weeks using traditional methods are now languishing on the market unable to attract buyers even as seller’s lower prices. Many say the real estate boom is over but savvy buyers and sellers are profiting from real estate auctions.

Real Estate Auctions Work in Up or Down Markets.

Regardless of trends or market cycles, real estate auctions provide an open and transparent process for buyers and sellers. Properly conducted real estate auctions attract ready and willing buyers and motivate them to act now.

The auction method removes the “wait and see” attitude which serves to further depress real estate values. Buyers are always concerned about overpaying. Buyers gain confidence with their purchases at real estate auctions because they can see what others are willing to pay.

When market demand is high and inventories low, real estate auctions can deliver selling prices well above what a willing seller would have accepted in a negotiated private treaty sale. In good selling climates many property owners using traditional real estate methods; negotiating with one buyer at a time, leave thousands of dollars of equity on the table. During up markets real estate auctions are the best way to establish top market price.

Evaluating Your Real Estate for Auction

Not every property or seller for that matter makes a good candidate for auction. First of all sellers must be ready to sell now and for the current market value. Also a real estate auction will not fix problems caused by a downturn in market value of your property, if you owe more than a willing buyer will pay, be prepared to come to closing with your check book.

Properties that do well in real estate auctions have a high uniqueness factor. Ask your self, “What makes my property different from most others?” Maybe you own a resort property or high end luxury home, commercial properties and land do very well at auction. Real estate auctions thrive on uniqueness. If your property is like everyone else’s, the best thing you can do is offer the most competitive price.

Most importantly sellers must be reasonable about setting a minimum bid. A seller must look at the lowest, most current comps and price below that to generate the interest and urgency necessary for a successful real estate auction. Once the auction begins and qualified bidders start competing against one another you can watch the selling price increase.

Locate a Qualified Real Estate Auctioneer

Start by checking with the National Auctioneers Association, the best real estate auctioneers belong to this organization. These real estate auctioneers are well trained and adhere to a standard of practice and a code of ethics. Many attend the annual International Auctioneers Conference where the latest techniques and innovations in the real estate auction industry are presented.

Find out if the company you are interviewing is a full time real estate auction firm. Many real estate agents are getting auction licenses yet have no experience with the auction method of marketing. Conducting a successful real estate auction is nothing like (private treaty) traditional real estate sales. Go with a real estate auction pro.

You’re probably better of with an auction house that specializes in real estate auctions. There are many qualified auctioneers who have generations of experience selling personal property; furniture, dishes, lawn equipment and the occasional rare painting. Selling real estate at auction is a complex matter that should only be attempted by full time experienced real estate auction professionals.

Commissions and fees may vary, sellers must pay all marketing expenses up front and buyers typically pay 10% of the sales price to the auctioneer of which a share goes to participating real estate agents.

Types of Real Estate Auctions

Auctions are effective because they create a seller’s market. Professionally conducted real estate auctions create urgency, a reason to buy today and competition for the property. Terms and conditions of sale are established ahead of the auction. Real estate auctions will follow one of these three approaches:

Absolute Auction

The property is sold to the highest bidder regardless of price- using this process often returns the highest sale price.

Minimum Bid Auction

Seller agrees to sell at or above a published minimum bid price – this method is useful for internet auctions.

Seller Confirmation or Reserve Auction

With a reserve auction, the seller “reserves” the right to accept or decline any bids usually within 48 hours of the auction. Reserve auctions are used when there is a lien on the property from a lender or a court ordered sale with a minimum selling price.

Getting a commercial mortgage for a hotel property is very similar to getting a commercial mortgage for an owner occupied commercial property with a few subtle differences. The driving force for the majority of most hotel income is the RevPar or revenue per available room. RevPar is most commonly calculated by multiplying a hotels average daily room rate (ADR) by it occupancy rate and is a key indicator of performance. Rising RevPar is an indication that either occupancy is improving; the ADR is increasing, or a combination of the two.Although RevPar only evaluates the strength of room revenue, it is typically the most relevant indicator of performance. While many full service hotels generate revenue through other means such as restaurants, casinos, conferences, spas, or other amenities the majority of hotel properties are either limited service flagged properties or limited service unflagged properties. A limited service hotel is simply a hotel with out a restaurant. Because the operating costs of the restaurant component generally run higher than that of the hotel operations, it is common for the net operating income (NOI) as a percentage of total sales to be lower for a full service than a limited service hotel. For this reason the majority of commercial lenders prefer to finance limited service hotels.Flagged vs. Unflagged Properties:A flagged hotel property is simply a hotel that belongs to a national franchise. An example of a flagged property would be a Holiday Inn or a Best Western. For the guest, a flagged property provides the benefits of a uniform standard that is upheld by the franchisor. A guest could stay in a flagged property on the east coast and could expect the same flag on the west coast to have the same standard of cleanliness and amenities. The owner of the property gets the benefit of a nationwide reservation system and marketing. For this benefit the operator is expected to pay a franchise fee which can typically range anywhere from 5% to 10% of room revenue. Because of the advantages that a flagged property has, most commercial lenders prefer to finance them over an unflagged property. Sometimes it can be extremely difficult to get a commercial loan for an unflagged property, especially if the property isn’t in what is considered a destination resort area. A destination resort area would be an area like Miami, Myrtle Beach, or Orlando FL. An unflagged property in a destination resort is easier to obtain a commercial loan on than an unflagged property in other areas of the country.Exterior Corridor vs. Interior Corridor:An exterior corridor property is a hotel property where you can actually see the door to the rooms from the exterior of the property. These are sometimes referred to as a motel instead of a hotel. The term motel is actually derived from the term motor hotel where most travelers would park their vehicle directly in front of their room. While there are disagreements between what defines a motel and what defines a hotel, there is typically very little difference between the two outside of a lenders perception.Most exterior corridor properties are older and subsequently will not have the quality of furnishings and will have more deferred maintenance than an interior corridor property. An interior corridor property is going to be more energy efficient and would have a lower utility expense as a percentage of gross revenue.Financing Your Hotel Property:When trying to get a commercial loan for your hotel property there are a few distinct differences you can expect as opposed to financing other commercial properties. A hotel property is considered special purpose in nature which simply means that it is generally cost prohibitive to convert it to alternate use. An office building or retail space can accommodate numerous types of businesses whereas a hotel property can only accommodate a hotel. Because of this a commercial mortgage for a hotel is going to be considered riskier to the lender than a commercial mortgage for other general purpose property types. A lender will mediate this risk by taking a more conservative approach to underwriting a hotel property.The loan to value (LTV) for a hotel property will be lower than other general purpose property types. For a limited service, flagged property 65% LTV is typical and that number can go down depending upon the age of the property and whether its interior or exterior corridor. The LTV is simply a ratio calculated by dividing the loan amount by the value of the property. The debt service coverage ratio (DSCR) for a hotel will also need to be higher than that of a general purpose property type. The DSCR is a ratio that determines the strength of the property or business income in relation to the proposed mortgage payment. A typical required DSCR for a hotel property by a commercial lender is 1.30 which simply means that for every $1.00 in proposed mortgage expense there should be $1.30 available to pay it. For other general purpose property types the DSCR is lower. A DSCR of 1.20 is common for general purpose property types and can go oven lower for a less risky property such as an apartment building.Because the acquisition of a hotel property under a conventional program requires a large capital injection, many borrowers prefer to purchase a hotel property by utilizing the SBA 504 program. This program enables the borrower to put in as little as 15% and still obtain a better interest rate than a traditional commercial mortgage for a hotel.