You have made a decision that puts a structured, competitive process to work for you. This page is your complete guide to every step of the journey, from today through to auction day and beyond.
Auction removes guesswork, creates a genuine market, and delivers unconditional results.
When the hammer falls at or above reserve, the sale is complete. No finance clauses, no building inspection conditions. Buyers must be fully prepared before they raise a hand.
When buyers know there is a deadline and other interested parties, they move. The auction room puts your best buyers in the same place at the same time, and competition drives price.
Four weeks. Open homes, due diligence, viewings, and auction day, all structured so buyers know exactly when and how they can buy. No dragging on. No ambiguity.
The search price is sent to TradeMe, OneRoof, and other portals. It determines which price band your property appears in. It must be right from the start.
Buyers on portals search within bands. If your search price puts you in the wrong band, you are invisible to the people most likely to buy.
A search price that reflects real market value will attract motivated buyers. Wishful pricing scares away the very people who would pay more when put in competition.
The search price is a portal tool, not a statement of what you will accept. There is no asking price in an auction campaign. No one is talking price with buyers.
Your agent will discuss a realistic range with you. The search price needs to be confirmed before the listing goes live. This conversation is important.
There are three moments when your property can sell. Each has its own rules, process, and implications.
During the campaign, buyers may approach your agent with an offer to purchase before auction. This is known as a pre-auction offer.
If a pre-auction offer is received, your agent is legally required to present it to you. The offer is usually required to be unconditional, or very close to it, and typically triggers a formal process that gives other interested buyers the opportunity to compete.
You are never obligated to accept a pre-auction offer. The decision is entirely yours. However, if the price and terms are compelling and you have good confidence in the market, it is worth serious consideration.
This is the primary goal of the campaign. On auction day, if bidding reaches or exceeds your reserve price, the property is on the market and the sale is unconditional the moment the hammer falls.
No conditions. No subject to finance. No cooling-off period. The highest bidder is the buyer, and the contract is legally binding from that moment.
This is the cleanest, most transparent outcome. Both you and the buyer know exactly where you stand. Settlement proceeds on the agreed date and your solicitor handles the rest.
If the property passes in, meaning bidding did not reach your reserve, we move immediately into post-auction negotiations. The highest bidder has the first right to negotiate with you.
This is still a very strong position. You now know who is interested and what they have been prepared to bid. Your agent and I will work with you to bridge the gap, or help you decide on the next steps.
The most important thing post-auction is speed. If we are not negotiating toward a successful outcome, the recommendation is to put an asking price on the property immediately. Buyers who were ready to bid will still be in the market, but only briefly. Do not let the momentum die.
"The truth is, most vendors do not fully know what they will accept until we sit down to set the reserve."
No price marketing creates a genuine market. It lets buyers self-qualify, prevents price anchoring, and allows competition to do its job. The moment you start talking numbers, you have capped your result.
If a buyer, neighbour, or family member asks what you are looking to get, your answer is simple: "We are going to auction, so we are letting the market decide."
The legal work begins the moment you list. The goal is to have everything available to buyers as early as possible in the campaign. Here is what is happening and what needs your attention.
Your agency will prepare the auction agreement, which is the legal document that authorises the auction and sets out the terms. Send this to your solicitor promptly. It needs to be reviewed, confirmed, and signed. The target is to have this complete before the campaign goes live.
A copy of your certificate of title will be sourced and made available to buyers. This confirms ownership and any encumbrances on the property. Your agent will obtain this early in the campaign so buyers can review it as part of their due diligence.
A Land Information Memorandum has been ordered from your local council. This will be made available to you, your solicitor, and prospective buyers. Having it ready as early as possible keeps the campaign moving and gives buyers confidence to proceed.
Chattels are the items included in the sale: dishwasher, curtains, heat pump, garaging, garden sheds. Your agent will prepare a chattels list. Review it carefully. Once in the contract, this is what buyers are relying on.
You need to choose a settlement date before auction day. Think carefully about what works for you. This becomes part of the contract that buyers agree to. If a particular buyer cannot meet that date, they may request a variation after the auction. Choose a date that gives you flexibility.
If there is anything unique to your property, like ongoing tenancies, access agreements, or other clauses, your solicitor may want to add conditions to the contract. Do this early so the contract is buyer-ready well before open homes begin.
Follow up with your solicitor. Confirm they have the auction agreement, review the chattels list, agree on a settlement date, and flag any special conditions you need included. This is time-sensitive. The earlier the contract is ready, the sooner buyers can start their due diligence.
Before auction day, a buyer who intends to bid can approach your agent and request variations to the contract that will apply specifically to them if they are the successful purchaser. These are agreed in advance, so everyone knows exactly where they stand before the hammer falls.
If the settlement date you have chosen does not work for the buyer, they can request a change. This is the most common variation. It is entirely negotiable. Agreeing to a variation on settlement can often be the difference between a deal and no deal, and it costs you nothing.
The standard deposit is typically 10% of the purchase price. A buyer may request a variation to this amount, either a reduced deposit or a deferred deposit structure. Your agent will advise whether the request is reasonable given the buyer's circumstances and the overall deal.
Any variation beyond the above is more complex and will be handled by your agent on a case-by-case basis. Examples include early access, specific inclusions or exclusions, or other unique clauses. Your agent will guide you through any request and its implications before you decide.
You are never obligated to accept a variation. Every request is a negotiation. Your agent's role is to help you understand what you are agreeing to and whether it serves your interests. A flexible vendor is often a successful vendor.
Each week of the campaign has a distinct rhythm and purpose. Click a week to see what is happening.
Open homes, photography live, buyers discovering your property for the first time.
Second viewings begin. Due diligence commences for serious buyers.
Intelligence gathering. We learn who is interested, where they see value, and what they need to complete.
Review all feedback. Set the reserve. Get ready for auction day.
What if the first open home is quiet? Stay the course.
A quiet first open home can feel deflating. It is important to remember that you are working to a considered, structured programme with three distinct stages. First-week traffic does not define the campaign. Some of the best auction results follow a slow start.
The buyers who matter most, the ones who have done their research and are ready to commit, often do not appear until week two. They are not browsing. They are buying.
Do not make hasty decisions based on early traffic. Trust the process, stay in close contact with your agent, and let the campaign play out.
Rotating photo order, updating headlines and ad copy, and testing new descriptions to improve click-through rates on portals.
Calling active buyers in their database who are looking in your price range and property type. Personal calls drive foot traffic.
Colleagues, other agencies, and their networks are being activated. The right buyer may not be on a portal. They may be on a phone list.
Checking impressions, click-throughs, and enquiries to understand whether the issue is visibility, the price band, or presentation.
The minimum price you are prepared to accept at auction. Set privately. Only three people in the world know this number.
In the final week of the campaign, we will sit down together, you, your agent, and myself, to review all of the feedback, the buyer activity, and the picture the campaign has painted.
Using that intelligence, we will set your reserve. This is the minimum price at which your property will sell at auction. It is legally binding, it is private, and it is your number to set.
When bidding reaches the reserve, I will announce that the property is "on the market", meaning it will sell to the highest bidder from that point. This is the moment the room comes alive.
There is no obligation to set your reserve at any specific amount. The conversation leading up to it will be informed by four weeks of real buyer feedback and market data. Our recommendation will be grounded in evidence, not optimism.
Select a scenario below to see how the relationship between your price expectation and the market plays out on auction day.
Your reserve reflects what the campaign evidence supports. Buyers arrive prepared. Competition drives the result.
Your reserve is above what most buyers have concluded the property is worth. Some may still bid, but reaching reserve is not guaranteed.
The gap is significant. Serious buyers who have done their research are unlikely to commit time and money when the reserve is out of reach.
Buyers who have completed their due diligence are confident bidding at or above your reserve. Competition forms naturally. The price is driven by the market, not your expectation.
This is the scenario that delivers the cleanest result. The campaign evidence and your reserve are working together, not against each other.
Most buyers have valued the property below your reserve. Only one or two may reach it. If bidding stalls, the property passes in and we move into negotiation with the highest bidder.
A deal can still be done, but it requires more work and the outcome is less certain. The reserve and the market are not quite aligned.
Serious buyers who have done their research will not commit time and money to due diligence when their view of value is far below the expected reserve. Attendance and bidding reflect this.
The property may sit on the market longer, attract price reduction conversations, and lose the momentum the campaign built. Speed and a realistic asking price become critical.
These two perspectives are not wrong, they are just different. The key is understanding which one drives the result.
Buyers do not know what you paid. They do not know what you spent on the renovation. They cannot factor in what you need for your next home. They are focused entirely on what this property is worth to them, at this moment, in this market. A reserve grounded in that reality gives you the best possible chance of a successful auction.
Auction day is a structured event with a clear sequence. Click each stage to understand exactly what happens and why.
Buyers, their solicitors, and any representatives arrive. I will be in the room early to welcome people and set the tone. Auction day has an energy to it. Anticipation is natural on all sides.
As the vendor, you can be present or choose to wait elsewhere while your agent keeps you updated in real time. Both approaches are completely fine. Do what feels right for you.
Before bidding begins, I read out the auction terms and conditions. This includes the legal framework of the auction, the requirements of bidders, and the rules under which the auction will be conducted.
All buyers present, including their legal representatives, are deemed to have acknowledged these terms. It is a formal moment that sets the legal stage for what follows.
I take a few minutes to speak to the property: its key features, the campaign highlights, and anything relevant buyers should know as they prepare to bid. This is my introduction to give, not your agent's.
This is the final moment before bidding opens. It is a chance to reaffirm the value of what is on offer, focus the room, and build the right atmosphere before competition begins.
I call for an opening bid. The increments I work with are designed to build momentum, starting where the market sits and working upward. My role is to keep the energy alive, acknowledge every bid clearly, and push for the next one.
Bidding may start slowly or move quickly. Every auction is different. My experience allows me to read the room and manage the tempo. I will do everything within the rules to drive the best possible outcome for you.
When bidding reaches your reserve price, I announce clearly: "The property is now on the market." This is the moment the auction changes character. Every person in the room knows that the next fall of the hammer means a sale.
Bidding continues from here, and competition at this stage is where prices can move significantly. Once on the market, I will do everything I can to squeeze out every last dollar before bringing it down.
If bidding stalls below your reserve, the property "passes in". That means it does not sell under the hammer. This is not the end of the process. It simply means we move into a negotiation phase.
The highest bidder has the first right to negotiate with you through your agent. I may stay involved to help facilitate if that is useful. You are under no obligation to accept any number, but the goal is to find common ground where a deal can be made.
Post-auction negotiation is conducted by your agent with my support if needed. We are working to find a price and terms that both parties can agree on. The highest bidder from the room is the starting point.
These negotiations can resolve quickly or take a little time. Your agent will guide you through every offer and counter-offer. Stay calm, stay informed, and trust the process.
If auction day and immediate negotiations do not produce a result, the property remains unsold. The most important thing at this point is speed.
My strong recommendation is to place an asking price on the property immediately. The buyers who were prepared to bid are still in the market, but only for a short window. Every day without a clear asking price risks losing that momentum.
Your agent will advise on what asking price makes sense based on the auction feedback. Act decisively and the campaign energy carries forward. Hesitate, and the market moves on.
This campaign is one of the biggest financial moments of your life. You should feel informed, confident, and supported throughout. If anything on this page raises a question, or if something comes up that is not covered here, reach out. That is what I am here for.