Strategised Bidding a Winning Game

“Gentlemen, gentlemen… I have to tell you that I am just a real estate agent,” announced auctioneer Kieran Whaley to the crowd as a matter of concern, “I am not a bouncer, and there are no security guards here to break up a fight if you decide to punch each other, gentlemen.”

The atmosphere was so tensed at the auction between me in suit and a Chinese property developer/ builder group in construction garbs. I started off on a ‘stage’ at the neighbour’s house and later moved right in front of my competition’s face when one of the blokes threw bids against me. Although I learned Kung Fu, I did not use any physical moves on him. So no ambulances needed. However, my body language sent a strong signal to the other bidder that he could not even look into my eyes and eventually surrendered murmuring, “It’s yours, you can have it.”

That spelled victory for me and my client, who was overseas at that time of the auction, and the hammer fell on my last bid. Hurrah!

The neighbour whom I befriended earlier on the day rushed over with congratulations and said she witnessed how my bidding strategies worked. She explained how I bidded aggressively but also trying to stall the price as low as possible at the very same time.

Then, the developer who bought a block a few doors down the road came and congratulated me as well, saying that he could use my service to purchase his next site. He was so enthusiastic about the outcome and was fascinated on the way I executed the auction bidding strategies. He said he has never seen anyone bidded like me before.

He echoed my thought. I too have not seen anyone bidded like me before. Whenever I bid at auctions, people always come to shake my hand, whether I won the auction, or not! And long chats follow.

The longest chat I had, however, was with my client’s architect/ development manager, who was present at the day and was my senior back in Melbourne University’s architectural school. Here a memento shot of us on that special day. Viva architect comrades! We can smile now.