Tough competition at the 2017 REIACT Auctioneering Championship in Canberra

If you work well under pressure and can entertain a crowd, you may have what it takes to be an auctioneer.

You’ll also have the responsibilities of offering legal information and adding irregular numbers quickly, while you sell someone’s most valuable possession.

These skills were among the judging criteria at the 2017 Real Estate Institute ACT Auctioneering Championships on Thursday.

Contestants battled it out across two categories: auctioneer of the year and novice auctioneer of the year.

Novice auctioneers, Laing & Simmons’ Chris Antos, Independent Property Group’s Daniel Pollack, Ray White’s Tom Williamson and LJ Hooker’s Chris Whittingham, had each conducted fewer than 10 auctions prior to the competition.

Experienced auctioneers, Peter Blackshaw’s Alec Brown and Martin Faux, Independent Property Group’s Mark Larmer and Andrew Potts, and LJ Hooker’s Sandra Masters and Nic Salter-Harding, were competing for the chance to represent the ACT at the Australasian Auctioneering Championships in September.

The two finalists, Mr Brown and Mr Potts, impressed the judges with their engaging performances and are on their way to the Australasian competition in Adelaide.

“There were so many people who deserve to be moving on to the next round, I would not have liked to be in the position of being a judge,” Mr Brown said.

“It will be a wonderful learning opportunity and a chance to pick up additional skills and advice from interstate colleagues and represent the ACT. Andrew and I will have to do everyone proud.”

• Related: Auction watch – Canberra clearance rates surge
• Related: Canberra defies winter auction market blues
• Related: Is an auction the right option?

Competitors were tasked with the fictitious auction of a heritage house in Reid. Bidders threw curly questions and obscure numbers at each auctioneer to test their skills.

A panel of six judges assessed the contestants’ abilities to engage a crowd, think on their feet and handle the legalities of running an auction.

Mr Potts said the conditions were “a bit harder” than a real-life auction.

“They’re over-testing so they know you can effectively do the numbers and whatever else in a real-life situation,” Mr Potts said. 

“The biggest thing is everyone tends to improve, not only in the competitions but when you’re out in the field as well. It’s about trying to lift the benchmark.”

Mr Brown said the novice competition was particularly important for training up-and-coming auctioneers.

“It’s the best way for anyone aspiring to get into auctions and it’s a wonderful platform to test your skill set and improve,” Mr Brown said.

The winners of both categories will be announced at the REIACT Awards for Excellence in September.