Home Auction Day

Auction Day   February 13, 2016

by Marlene Redekopp

We all know what an auction is and how it proceeds, but we had never experienced an auction of household effects taking place at the home of the seller.  Had we lived more of our lives closer to farming communities, this event would not have been as unknown or unique, and as it turned out, the day was most interesting and even absorbing for us. 

The event which precipitated this auction was Marg and Rick’s move and downsizing from their house and home of 45 years to a lovely and spacious 2 bedroom high rise apartment near the centre of Waterloo. The auction went smoothly and seemingly effortlessly in the hands of the very experienced and professional auctioneer and his staff. However, looking behind the scenes and the weeks preceding the sale told a different story. This was an exceedingly  well organized and well thought-out process; it did not just happen. Rick had maintained ever since the decision was made to sell their house that there would be no garage sale, nor items for sale in the newspaper or the internet, nor endless drives with trucks to the landfill site nor drives to the thrift store. Everything in the house would all be removed in one day he announced. There would be an auction sale. 

First came the decisions: what to keep, what to throw away, what to sell. Not having downsized yet ourselves we don’t quite yet realize that this process is definitely not as simple as it sounds. With the help of willing and able friends and relies Marg and Rick proved to be ruthless and efficient in making those choices. They were determined their apartment would be uncluttered and orderly. 

Moving day was February 2. In just a few hours the entire body of what was to be moved had been packed into the moving van and deposited in the apartment by the moving men. So whatever remained in the house was then to be sold at auction. Or so Rick thought - before he knew what was happening,  neighbours and acquaintances and relies began seeing objects of desire, such as snowblower, chainsaw, wheelbarrow, antique clock! Offers of payment for purchases before the auction began appearing. Rick had to remain steadfast and adamant, “No, no, I’m sorry, I can’t sell you that. I need something left for the sale!!” Besides, once the auctioneer had photographed and listed and advertised individual items, they were then required to be part of the goods for sale. They couldn’t just disappear. 

There were two weeks between The Move and The Auction and that time was given over to moving everything in a somewhat organized manner from the house on to long tables in the garage. Larger items such as the snowblower and seated lawnmower were stored in a neighbour’s garage for safe keeping. Moving everything into the garage was not a job for 2 people and fortunately  there were numerous offers of help from friends and relies. Amazingly, during the course of  most of one day a group of about 10 people managed this. The following day other helpers arrived and the placing of goods became more categorized as items such as dishes and blankets and tools became grouped for better accessibility and viewing. 

Auction Day

All week we had been following the weather reports; especially in the winter, weather conditions could make or break the success of an outdoor auction. As the days progressed we realized to our dismay that the coldest day of the entire winter was to be the day of The Auction – it was forecast to be -23C !!! This forecast proved to be accurate, although it did  “warm up” to -18C by noon. However, it must be said that the sun shone brightly and there was no wind. 

By 7:30 AM other friends arrived to open the garage, to redistribute the goods along the length of the driveway, opening up space in the garage so potential buyers could walk about more freely and examine things. All the large items which had been lodged with the neighbours were brought out to sit on the front lawn. The auctioneer had set up his command post in the diningroom with 2 staff, computers, a printer and money boxes. Accepted forms of legal tender were cheques, debit card and oh yes, cash. People had begun arriving over an hour before the starting time of 10:00AM, to check things out, cars were parked on nearby streets. The day before the sale Rick received an interesting telephone call. After establishing the fact of the sale and the time, the caller then asked Rick if there would be a place for him to tie his horse! Yes, there were two horses and buggies driven by Old Order Mennonites and yes, they did “park” on the street. That’s our car behind the buggy. 

And so progressed The Auction throughout the morning and into the afternoon. I had never seen anything like it. It was almost surreal, seeing the living room furniture sitting in the snow, seeing personal effects and sometimes treasured items no longer needed in M and R’s new life, laid bare as it were, seeing items which we had brought from Bangladesh but obviously not appropriate for an apartment, in someone else’s hands, but being given a new life. 

The turnout was, according to Rick, exceptional considering the weather. People were dressed for the frigid conditions, came into the house when necessary, coffee and some goodies were on offer, and then out they went again. It was all quiet and orderly and respectful, together with an atmosphere of fun. As well as local people, the advertisements brought dealers from as far as Toronto and Stratford. Those interested in bidding came into the “office”, registered and were given a number. After a bid was accepted, the buyer came back in, paid for the items and was given a receipt with a computer printout in detail of what items were purchased and how much each cost. The entire process was very professional and efficient. No one left without paying and everyone took away the items they bought. They came with trucks or vans or cars or…horse and buggy. 

 Most welcome also were the friends (and relies) who came not necessarily to buy, but to lend moral support, bring coffee, baked goods, sandwiches, good cheer and friendship. 

By around 1:30PM it was all over, I could hardly believe it. The garage was empty, the driveway systematically cleared of all goods, and buyers had dispersed. At first glance it had all seemed chaos, but the entire process had been systematically conducted and kept in motion in an orderly manner. Shortly the auctioneer joined Rick in the kitchen with several pages of computer printout of each item and the takings, the total of his costs and commission earned, said he felt the turnout had been great, that about 99% of everything had been sold and handed Rick a cheque for the remainder. The house was empty, the garage was empty, the storage shed was empty. It was all over. As Marg and Rick drove away Rick jokingly said all that remained was a clothes dryer on the side of the driveway and ahh….droppings from the horse on the driveway.  It had all disappeared in one day as predicted.  All in all, a most successful endeavour.