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West Virginia Auctioneers Talk Real Estate, Autos, Auctioneering

LEWISBURG, W. Va. — Holding an auction to turn personal property or real estate into quick cash can happen just about any time during the year.

However, auctioneers say that the spring market is best for car auctions, and spring and fall are best for estates and real estate sales.

Summer is not recommended because so many people are away on vacation.

According to third-generation auctioneer Randy “Riverbend” Burdette, no matter when a sale is held, auctions continue to be the choice of buyers.

In 2008, Burdette was elected to a three-year term on the board of directors of the National Auctioneers Association. In that capacity, he conducted continuing education classes for auctioneers in several states.

Burdette said the auction process begins with meeting the client and evaluating their circumstances and particular needs.

“We write a proposal detailing marketing and so forth. Once the contract is signed, the auction is typically conducted within 30-45 days,” Burdette said.

Burdette said their marketing is done in newspapers, on the internet, with email blasts and signage on property.

“There are two (auction) formats,” he said. “One is when selling personal property, a live auctioneer is on the location. The second is on the internet, simulcasting live, leaving the auction open from seven to 10 days,” he said.

For on-site auctions, Burdette said he goes to the location a few days before the sale and begins preparing and sorting out items.

“Every auction is different. Sometimes it takes a few hours, sometimes it takes all day,” Burdette said.

Portable toliets are brought on-site, and food and drinks are sold.

When down to the last items, Burdette said, “We group things together that wouldn’t ordinarily sell separately. After the auctions, we help everyone load, and then tidy up.”

From time to time, unique items will surface to be auctioned.

“A couple years ago, a picture of a Civil War soldier surfaced in a house. It sold for $18,000. That was exciting,” Burdette said.

One of the highest bids for an individual item Burdette has experienced was $25,000 for an antique whiskey flask at a house in Martinsburg.

He said the auction market is strong when it comes to just about any type of firearms.

“Any type of firearm is in demand. Hunting and fishing goods are also in demand,” Burdette said.

Slipping in the market are all types of glassware and commercial furniture.

In the 27 years of Burdette’s auctioning career, he said he has sold property in all 55 of the counties in West Virginia.

Property sales, said Burdette, can sell anywhere from $50,000 to $100,000, depending on the estate and condition of any equipment for sale.

Burdette is one of 150 members in the West Virginia Auctioneers Association, founded in 1962. In addition to having held every office in the association, and retiring as executive director in 2007, Burdette is also a pastor.

“I pastor at Flat Mountain Missionary Baptist Church in Alderson, West Virginia, and I teach Bible class at Seneca Trail Christian Academy in Ronceverte,” Burdette said.

After owning Riverbend Auction and Riverbend, USA LLC, Burdette joined the Foxfire Realty Team in Lewisburg as lead auctioneer and associate real estate broker.

He has conducted auctions in New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, Virginia, North and South Carolina, Kentucky, Ohio, Florida and Kansas.

Barbara Blake has been the WVAA executive director since 2008.

“I am a first-generation auctioneer and have been in the auction business since 2000. I conduct estate auctions as well as real estate, liquidations and asset recovery,” Blake said.

Blake said the association holds an annual convention in February.

“We hold our contest for the WVAA bid-calling champion and also the ringperson contest at the convention,” Blake said.

A Second Career in Cars

Robin Mazzie is a ringperson currently working for four car auction facilities: Mountain State Auto Auction and Capital City Auto Auctions in West Virginia; Adesa Pittsburg; and American’s Auto in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

A ringperson is a pivotal part of an automobile auction, acting as a fast-moving bid spotter at a car auction.

Mazzie’s life and career has taken several turns. She was in aviation, owned a bakery, and all the while, was interested in learning new things.

She saw an ad in the paper that talked about needing help at a local auction, answered the ad, began clerking and handling paperwork between the buyer and seller.

“I think what interested me was really more of being a part of the auctioning atmosphere,” Mazzie said.

After being smitten with the auction bug from working in that field, Mazzie decided to go to auction school in High Point, North Carolina.

“That was six years ago and I’ve been doing this job every since,” Mazzie said.

Because of the volume of automobiles running through the auto auctions, safety for the buyers and sellers is the responsibility of the ringperson.

“Cars are constantly moving,” Mazzie said.

Her job includes calling out the features of a vehicle that are not seen at a quick glance, such as a sunroof, third seat, or any features in or on the car that may interest a buyer and draw them closer.

“Perhaps (they want to) spend more money because of specific features,” Mazzie said.

She says perfect communication between the ringperson and the auctioneer is essential.

“Sometimes transactions don’t come together. For instance, if the seller is at $10,000 and the buyer, at $9,500. My job is what happens when that particular car goes out and a new car comes down the lane,” Mazzie said.

Mazzie said many times she continues working with the buyer and seller long after the car of interest has left the area.

“It may be 10 cars later and I”m still working on the sale,” Mazzie said.

Mazzie said some auctions don’t have ringpersons: “Once the car is out of the building, no one works on the sale.”

Many of the ringpersons have auctioneer licenses, and Mazzie is one of them.

She credits a lot of her success to Joe and Charlotte Pyle, owners of Capital City Auto Auctions, for mentoring her when she began her career.

“The Pyles are the ones that gave me my first shot at learning how to be a ringperson. If it weren’t for them, I would not have had a place to start,” Mazzie said.

Mazzie said the “ringperson” term is a derived from the term that was previously used: ringman.

“There are definitely more ringmen than women,” Mazzie said.

Mazzie currently works four different auctions a week.

Collecting Marbles

People collect all kinds of items — some turn out to be collector’s items, others, not so much.

Lifelong auctioneer Darwin Plumlee, from Martinsburg, has sold $13,000 worth of marbles.

“One lady bought $8,000 worth of them,” Plumlee said.

He also sold a paperweight for $9,000.

Plumlee’s auction career began 45 years ago.

He said he never planned to get in the auction business, until he attended an auction one night. In jest, he told the auctioneer if he ever needed help to give him a call.

“I was thinking holding up items or something like that,” Plumlee said.

At his next visit to the auction, the owner pointed to Plumlee and announced that his auctioneer had arrived.

Apparently, said Plumlee, the scheduled auctioneer was a no-show.

“I picked myself off the floor, climbed on stage and did the best I could,” Plumlee said.

His best was better than most, and Plumlee had a job.

“I’ve since sold everything from false teeth to bodies in urns, heavy equipment, and now I’m into real estate sales,” Plumlee said.

One of the most interesting auctions he did was selling the estate of Ralph Albertazzie, an Air Force One pilot for five different U.S. presidents.

“He had a boatload of memorabilia. One of the pictures I sold was of Nancy Reagan and Frank Sinatra dancing when President Reagan tried to cut in. I wish I would have bought that one,” Plumlee said.

Plumlee said that particular auction “went through the roof,” bringing 40 percent more for Albertazzie’s car than it should have.

At 74 years old, Plumlee said it’s time to do something beside pots and pans, and is going full swing into the real estate auctioning.

“Auctioning real estate is no different than items. In real estate, you start high and come down. Personal items, you generally start down and go up,” he said.

Plumlee said the quickest way to sell real estate is auctioning, and the key to the selling is marketing.

“You can’t stick an ad on the auction page and expect someone to see it and buy. You have to get the information out there by way of social media such as Facebook and online bidding,” Plumlee said.

To purchase real estate, the buyer must have a pre-approved letter of credit from a bank.

“We don’t take contingency, and we close within 30 days,” Plumlee said.

Plumlee concentrates on selling new homes and estate sales, and said auctioning real estate is the quickest and easiest way to sell.

Plumlee was inducted to the West Virginia Hall of Fame Auctioneers in 2009.

Marla Piscotta-Haislip is a freelance writer in West Virginia.

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