Auction Method Marketing Provides Answers for Today’s Real Estate Market

St. Louis, MO, February 16, 2008 --(PR.com)-- MarkNet Alliance, an auction marketing network, will hold 2008 – a great year with infinite possibilities, a membership conference, at the Crowne Plaza St. Louis-Clayton Hotel on February 24-25. Among the conference topics is auction method marketing for real estate.

According to a recent report by Morpace, Inc., conducted on behalf of the National Auctioneers Association (NAA), residential real estate auction revenue increased 5.3% last year despite the growing housing market downturn. This makes real estate auctions one of the fastest growing sectors of auction method marketing. For the seller, knowing the day and time property will be sold can remove a lot of stress from the process of relocating. Buyers benefit by getting a good deal and deciding what they want to pay for a home. Even developers are selling new homes via auctions with plenty of success.

Bill Johnson, a Minnesota builder who recently sold 18 of 40 available homes in a single weekend by auction, says this changing aspect of real estate marketing provides a win/win situation for seller and buyer. “What was so exciting was the young couples that were there. The first-time buyers are really getting active in the market right now,” he said in an interview with David Asman of Fox Business News. Johnson says that when the buyer gets a good deal, the seller gets a good deal and, as a builder, Johnson gains a good prospect for a future customer. “We know we’ll end up building their new house in the future.”

Further evidence for the success of auction method marketing is the growing popularity of online auction centers, as illustrated by the innovator of online auctions, eBay.com, and its biggest competitor, Amazon.com. These popular tools for the everyday marketer are signposts for both auctioneer and real estate professionals to move their marketing efforts and sales accessibility online.

MarkNet Alliance is doing just that as member auction companies combine resources to grow their existing businesses through technology, networking, and educational training. Online software available to MarkNet Alliance members helps build bigger auctions and streamline auction management. This software, available online with no installation required, allows auctioneers, brokers, and sellers to view all tasks and statistics regarding the piece of real estate being sold and to hold simultaneous onsite and online auctions, increasing auction attendance.

For more information about MarkNet Alliance, the member companies involved, or the auction method of marketing, please contact Wendy Stewart, wendy@marknetalliance.com or 719-221-4723. You can also find out more about MarkNet Alliance at www.marknetalliance.com.

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