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No stranger to the fast-paced allure of the job, this auctioneer still believes that spending time as a sales agent is an important step not to be skipped on the way to auctioneering.
David Holmes, who recently took out the prize for Auctioneer of the Year at the Real Estate Institute of Queensland’s excellence awards for the second time, aspired to wield the gavel from a young age.
“I first dreamt of becoming an auctioneer as a nine-year-old growing up in Melbourne. I saw my grandparents’ house auctioned in what was a frenzy of activity, fast-paced negotiation, well-dressed agents – clearly it left an indelible mark on my young brain,” he told REB.
“I had the great opportunity to become firstly a goods and chattels auctioneer as a director of an auction house in Melbourne and then finally settling in Queensland as a property auctioneer before moving to Sydney to become the chief auctioneer for LJ Hooker Australia.”
But while he kept his eye on the prize, gaining experience in auction houses, Mr Holmes – who has helmed his own company, David Holmes Auctions, since 2021 – felt that it was the experience working as a sales agent that gave him a particular perspective on real estate. He recommends that anyone looking to get into his field should spend some time as an agent to gain insight into the long-term relationship building that goes into each sale.
“I think every auctioneer should spend some time as a sales agent understanding both sides of the equation. I see auctioneers who have never sold real estate before struggling to understand what it’s like to sit on the other side when you are acting as an agent, working with vendors and sellers to achieve vendor paid advertising and importantly positioning the property so it sells on auction day,” he said.
That experience will also enable auctioneers to understand where they sit in the equation on the day of the big sales event. While it may seem like the whole event revolves around the person with the gavel, in the larger scheme of things, Mr Holmes reminds: “It’s not all about you.”
In the midst of the hustle and bustle, it’s your job to keep things under control. He judges an auctioneer’s mettle on their ability to keep a handle on even the most frenzied of sales.
“Being an auctioneer is about being in control and facilitating the process to the best of one’s ability in order to affect the best possible outcome regardless of whether the property sells under the hammer, continues negotiations or is passed in,” he said.
Mr Holmes points to TV’s sensationalised auction coverage as an example of what not to do.
“We have seen this week on The Block where less experienced auctioneers and those who have not given themselves to professional development and professional auctioneering training, have found themselves struggling with a lack of strategy and a lack of professionalism leading to a lack of control on the auction floor,” he opined.
To keep himself at the top of the game, Mr Holmes said that he has a mentor that he regularly works with, alongside a talented roster of individuals on his staff who continuously contribute to each other’s professional development as well as workplace enjoyment.
“My support team includes our skilled team of auctioneers who are award-winning auctioneers and a marketing department who keep us edgy and relevant without training material and profile. I also employ a training mentor who has won auctioneering awards at the highest level multiple times and has been invaluable in my own professional development,” Mr Holmes shared.
“Having these people in my corner ensures that I have accountability, best in market training and importantly, great culture with terrific humans who I thoroughly enjoy being around,” Mr Holmes added.
While thrilled to win the award in 2023, he is sure to speak in the collective sense, acknowledging that the personal achievement is certainly a group effort.
“Winning this award for the second time shows our clients that we are serious about professional development and also bringing best practice, compliance and training to our partners.”
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