Two finalists announced in REINSW Senior Auctioneers Competition

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Jul 18, 2018

Two finalists announced in REINSW Senior Auctioneers Competition

Clarence White of Bresic Whitney and auctioneer Stuart Richie have been announced as the top two finalists in the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales (REINSW) Senior Auctioneers Competition.

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Clarence White, one of the top two finalists in the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales (REINSW) Senior Auctioneers Competition.
Stuart Ritchie, one of the top two finalists in the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales (REINSW) Senior Auctioneers Competition.

The two men were judged as the top performers out of six finalists in the 2018 REINSW Senior Auctioneers Competition, held last week.

Stuart Ritchie, who made the top four finalists in the Senior Auctioneers Competition in 2017, says the experience placed him in the best position possible to make it into the finals this year.

"Making the top four last year, but not progressing, was disappointing. However, I got a lot out of the experience and it put me in a better place for this year’s competition," Ritchie said.

Ritchie says being a finalist has already benefited his career.

"Funnily enough, one of the agents I work with was in a listing presentation when the Senior Auctioneers Competition finals were on. He told his prospective client that his auctioneer was competing at that exact time. When the client called the agent later that afternoon, he enquired how I had gone. Once he heard I was a finalist he said he’d better list his property and have me as the auctioneer," Ritchie said.

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From left to right, Ed Riley, Clarence White, Leon Axford, Stuart Ritchie, Jesse Davidson. Image supplied by REINSW.

Clarence White agrees.

"Being involved in this competition has been the chief vehicle for professional improvement. It creates an environment that forces me to fine tune my skills. Being a finalist and winner in these awards is great for my career. It’s a talking point for agents in listing situations – and a slight competitive advantage," White said.

White says there is a stark difference between a competition auction and a real one.

"Auction competitions are designed to test our skills at the highest level. They are quite deliberately harder than an ordinary Saturday auction. They’re meant to be. That is what makes us train, strive to improve and further our craft.

"And that is why I love competing in auction competitions. It pushes me to always be looking for ways to get better and elevate my skills," White said.

Ritchie told WILLIAMS MEDIA competition auctions are more methodical than a real one.

"For me, real auctions are about relationships and feel. I use instinct and read body language to decide how I approach each auction. Whereas, competition auctions are methodical and matter of fact. So the mindset is completely different," Ritchie said.

Both men will now go on to represent New South Wales at the Australasian Auctioneering Championships in Auckland later this year.

The Championships are an annual event jointly conducted by the Real Estate Institute of Australia and the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand and showcases the most skilled auctioneers the two countries have to offer.

But before that, one of them will be announced as the winner of the REINSW Auctioneers Award for Excellence at the Awards Gala Dinner in September.

Clarence White, who was the runner up last year at the Australasian Auctioneering Championships says he will do everything possible to win this year.

"I definitely have a bit of “second place burn” after being the runner up last year. But there are some truly outstanding auctioneers vying for the title. It is an extremely difficult competition to win. This year, I will be doing everything I can to ensure I am ready for the challenge," White said.

White says his preparation begins well in advance of the competition.

"Preparation for competition season begins many weeks in advance. We craft eloquent material for descriptions, and train with more difficult bidding increments and questions than we typically have at a real auction. We train under duress so that we are ready for whatever is thrown at us," White said.

These are the Auctioneering Competitions that have already been held

Currently, the REINT, REIT, REIV and REINZ have all held their auctioneering championships.