Auction Bidding Service
You have found the property? We can help you bid for it.
At an auction there is no second chance
When the hammer falls, that is it.
No cooling-off period. No finance clause. No building and pest report to fall back on. You have bought the property, on the vendor’s contract, at the price you just called out, and you sign and pay the deposit on the spot.
That is what makes an auction different from every other way of buying a house in New South Wales.
It also means the work that decides the outcome happens in the week before, not in the four minutes on the day. But those minutes, which can be incredibly stressful, are also more important than ever to get right.
Who this is for
You have found the property yourself. You have done the looking, you know you want it, and now it is going to auction.
What you want is someone who has stood in that spot a few hundred times, doing the bidding for you.
You might not need a full buyer’s agency engagement for that. This is the standalone service. It also comes at a lower cost.
What happens before auction day
This is the part that matters.
We tell you what the property is actually worth. A comparative market analysis on the specific property, built on recent comparable sales in that street and suburb. Not the agent’s guide. The agent’s guide is a marketing number.
We get the contract to your solicitor early. An auction contract is the vendor’s contract, and you are bound by it the moment the hammer falls. It needs reviewing before you bid, not after.
We help you get building and pest done. Before the auction, because afterwards is too late. These reports are arranged at your cost and we take no commission on them.
We talk to the agent. How much interest is real, how many contracts have gone out, where the vendor’s expectations sit, and whether they would consider an offer before the day. Agents tell a buyer’s agent things they will not tell a buyer.
We agree your limit. You set it. We give you the evidence to set it well. Then we do not go past it, we also put a clear strategy in place for how to handle your emotions.
What happens on the day
We register with you/on your behalf and we bid.
In New South Wales every bidder must register before the auction, providing a name, address and proof of identity, and is issued a bidder number. We handle that as your representative.
You can stand at the back and watch, or stay home entirely. Plenty of clients prefer not to be there, and there is a real advantage in the other bidders not being able to read your face. Others do attend and that is ok too.
We handle the auctioneer’s tactics, the vendor bid, the pauses designed to make you nervous and the jump bids designed to make you fold. None of it is personal and none of it is new.
And we stop at your number. We have had clients purchase for hundreds of thousands under their limit, and other clients walk away because bidding got out of control. Either way we are there to support you.
You get Matt. Every time.
Matt does the bidding himself. Not an associate, not whoever is free that Saturday.
That matters more than it sounds. The person bidding for you is the same person who read the contract, spoke to the agent and worked out what the property is worth. Nothing gets handed over and nothing gets lost in the handover.
It is also why we take a limited number of auctions at any time. If we are already committed elsewhere we will tell you straight away rather than send someone else.
If it passes in, the terms are suddenly in play
This is where a lot of auctions are actually won, and where the terms matter as much as the price.
If the highest bid does not meet the reserve the property passes in, and the highest bidder normally gets the first opportunity to negotiate with the vendor.
What most buyers do not realise is that a deal done on auction day usually still carries auction terms. Unconditional, no cooling-off. In most cases it is only after midnight that a property reverts to private treaty terms.
That cuts both ways, and it is a real decision rather than a technicality.
Sometimes you want to slow it down. Waiting can get you conditional terms and a cooling-off period you would never have had under the hammer.
Sometimes you want the opposite. If other buyers are circling, ready to come in with offers on their own terms, signing unconditionally on the day is the strongest move available. It ends the competition on the spot.
Which one is right depends on the property, the vendor, and who else is standing in the room. Reading that correctly, in the moment, is a different skill from bidding.
This is the part of the job Matt has spent fifteen years on. Some of our very best client deals (and biggest savings) have happened in the post auction negotiation.
About auctions in this part of the world
Auctions are common in Wollongong, Kiama and parts of the Illawarra.
Whilst they still occur further south, they tend to be less common. On the South Coast and through regional NSW most property still sells by private treaty, with more premium and unique properties tending to be the ones that might go to auction. Other reasons often include a deceased estate, a mortgagee sale, or an agent trying to assess interest when the market is too thin and they are unsure of likely price levels.
Knowing which of those you are looking at changes how you bid, and sometimes it means you should not be bidding at all. Sometimes the better move is an offer before auction day.
We will tell you which one this is, and help you get the best outcome regardless.
Auction coming up?
Send us the address and the auction date. We will tell you how we can help, what the job involves and what it costs.
The earlier the better. There is real work to do before you raise your hand.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use this without engaging you for the full service?
Yes. That is what this service is. You have found the property, you want a professional bidding on it, and that is where it ends. If you would rather have help finding properties too, that is the full buyer’s agency service.
Who decides how high we go?
You do. Our job is to give you the evidence to set that number properly, and then to hold it. We do not bid past your limit.
Is there a cooling-off period if I buy at auction?
No. In New South Wales there is no cooling-off period when you buy under the hammer. You sign the contract and pay the deposit, usually ten per cent, on the spot. That is why the contract review and the building and pest need to happen before auction day, not after.
A pass-in is more complicated than most buyers expect. A deal negotiated on auction day usually still carries auction terms, unconditional and with no cooling-off. In most cases it is only after midnight that the property reverts to private treaty terms. Whether it is worth waiting for that, or better to sign unconditionally on the spot, depends entirely on the situation.
Do I have to register to bid?
Yes. In New South Wales you cannot bid on a residential or rural property unless you give the selling agent your name and address and show proof of identity. You are recorded in the Bidders Record and issued a bidder number. Registering does not oblige you to bid. We handle registration as your representative.
Do I need to be there on the day?
No. Many clients prefer not to be, and there is an advantage in the other bidders not being able to read your reactions. You will be on the phone with us throughout.
What if the property passes in?
The highest bidder usually gets the first opportunity to negotiate with the vendor, and we carry straight on into that negotiation.
The timing matters more than people expect. A deal done on the day generally still carries auction terms, and in most cases it is only after midnight that private treaty terms apply. Sometimes waiting is worth it for the conditional terms. Sometimes, when other buyers are circling with offers of their own, signing unconditionally on the spot is the stronger play because it ends the competition. We will tell you which one this is.
Could we just buy it before the auction instead?
Sometimes, and sometimes that is the better result. We will tell you if we think a pre-auction offer is worth making, and we will make it for you.
How much does it cost?
It depends on the property and how much pre-auction work is involved. Send us the address and the auction date and we will tell you before you commit to anything.