Auctioneers from Australia and New Zealand gathered in Melbourne earlier this month to compete in the Australasian Real Estate Institutes’ Auctioneering Championships – the premier auctioneering event in the region. The championships, this year hosted by the Real Estate Institute of Victoria, was a hotly contested event with all contestants delivering outstanding auctions. Harry Li from Victoria took out the highest honor as the 2015 Australasian Auctioneering Champion.

Li, from McDonald Real Estate in Springvale, beat a field of 16 competitors and won the title back for Australia after four consecutive wins by New Zealand. REIV CEO Enzo Raimondo praised the competitors who travelled from as far afield as the Northern Territory, Western Australia and New Zealand to compete."The standard of this year’s competition was particularly high and Harry’s win is a coup for both Australia and Victoria," said Raimondo. "It’s the first time in 10 years that a Victorian has won the coveted title." 

Raimondo said Li impressed the judges with his professionalism, style and knowledge of best practice auctioneering techniques. Andrew North, Edward Riley, Damien Cooley and John Bowring were the other finalists in this year's competition.

In congratulating Li, the finalists and all of the contestants, REIA President Neville Sanders said the REIA strongly believes in the value of auctions as they provide sellers with an important alternative method of sale to private treaty sales. 'These championships encourage professionalism and skill in the art of conducting an auction," said Sanders. "It is great to see such strong competition, which inspires auctioneers to excel in their profession."

The competition is judged by veteran auctioneers and contestants are scored on everything from presentation and preamble, the handling of bids, the manner in which they knock down and close the auction and everything in between. Marks are deducted for any errors in fact or for any aspect of legislative compliance that may have been overlooked.

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Harry Li named Victorian Auctioneer of the Year