Auction Buyers: Understanding Reality While Seeing the Possibilities

 

A property can be the wrong fit for one person and an intriguing possibility for someone else.

I’ve been thinking about that after recent property previews. The properties were very different, and so were the people who came to see them. Some noticed the space and imagined ways it could serve more than one household. Others looked at a property needing substantial work and began considering what a project might become.

Those ideas weren’t detached from reality. Each person was also weighing real questions: What work would the property need? What could they afford? Would their financing fit the terms of the sale? Did they have the time, resources, and desire to take on what they were imagining?

That is part of what makes the auction process interesting. Clear terms—including an as-is sale, when that applies—give buyers important information up front. People can decide whether the property and the process fit their circumstances. Not every interested person will be able or ready to move forward, and a creative idea still has to meet the practical details.

But once those realities are understood, there is room for curiosity.

A property’s condition, layout, or unusual features may be drawbacks for one buyer and useful possibilities for another. Location can matter in ways that aren’t obvious until someone considers their own needs: proximity to work, downtown, a college, family, or other parts of daily life. The same rooms, repairs, and surroundings can mean something different to different people.

That doesn’t mean every property has hidden potential for every purpose. It means we should be careful about assuming we already know who will value it—or how. A seller may see a difficult repair. A buyer may see a project they’re equipped and eager to take on. One person may see too much space; another may see room for a business, rental, extended family, or community work. Those possibilities still need to be tested against the facts.

For sellers, that can be a reason to keep an open mind about the property and the people who may respond to it. For buyers, it’s an invitation to look thoughtfully: understand the terms, inspect what matters, ask questions, and weigh your idea against your actual resources.

The auction, along with the marketing around it, creates a chance to put a property in front of people with different needs, means, and ways of seeing. Then the terms help each person decide whether the possibility is one they can realistically pursue.

Sometimes the most useful question isn’t, “Who would want this?” It’s, “Once people understand the reality, what might they see?”

Perception

 I have written about my wrestle with perceptions before. 

I find myself re-visiting this topic and, maybe, with more insights than I had before. I just gave a speech, where I found a different way to explain the reality of perceptions.

I asked the audience to look at this picture. 

I shared how some people will look at this picture and the first thing they will notice is the dirty, muddy, road. I have a friend that is allergic to everything and not about ANY creepy crawlies. I would bet my hard-earned money those would be her first thoughts. 

Some people will get excited OR nervous about what could be at the end of that road or driveway. Will they need to make a decision? I can feel the anxiety building.... Will the view be so spectacular they are left in awe? (Two different perceptions right here.)

Some people will be drawn to the light, which then allows them to appreciate ALL that the light is shining on. It may cause them to truly study the picture and the beauty in it. 

What is the truth? All of them and none of them, all at the same time. We form our perceptions based on our life experiences. EVERY perception we make as humans if from a limited vantage point. Therefore, how great would it be if EVERYONE moved through life knowing that there is moRE to EVERYTHING. I think we would see more second chances, more conversations, more respect, and A LOT more grace for one another. 

One of the many things I have wrestled with in business, is the general perception of others. The perception of the general public, my clients, bidders, non-profits, family, and friends....the list could go on and get broken down even more, in some regards. I wrestle with it, even though I KNOW the above..... That there is moRE to everything. There are things that I don't see. There are things that I don't understand, and the same for others. 

Over the years, I have had to learn the finesse of living with the one overall truth, which is that: Our perceptions are reached by our own experiences, which are true - BUT, all of our perceptions are limited. Thus, not the ULTIMATE truth....which is the only one that really matters. I think this is one of the major reasons grace, mercy, and forgiveness are so important to God and are in so many of His messages to us. Our perceptions will ALWAYS (until maybe when Jesus comes back) be limited. That is a fact. The more wisdom He deposits in us, the more we will know, and (most likely) need to ask forgiveness for. 

I could write a book about the role perceptions have played in the growth and restructuring of my business. However, what I REALLY want to leave you all with is this truth....this explanation. As you see changes happening around you and you feel the feels on whether or not you like it, whether or not it's "right," whether or not it is "fair," whether or not it was "handled properly," JUST REMEMBER - everyone's vantage point is different and NONE of them see the full picture. 

I am a firm believer that The Holy Spirit ebbs and flows at God's command. I am also a firm believer that The Holy Spirit is mysterious and thorough in His movements. I promise you, that our God knows each one of us so intricately. He knows how hard certain things are for us to let go. He knows our hearts in such a way, that He removes what we will not. He cuts the rope of what we keep hanging onto. He places just the right people in our path at just the right time, and removes the influence of persons, places, or things that are NOT part of His plan for our lives. So much of it won't make sense, but we want it to. 

It is why grace and mercy and forgiveness are bypassed for judgement and condemnation so often. We want to understand. We want to make it so. We want to have some handle on why things are the way they are. Yet....this is why He asks us to Just. Have. Faith. in Him. We can't. He can, and He LOVES us so incredibly and fully....WAY more than we love ourselves. Buck Up Baby! & have a little faith. You know what you know, but there is SO much you do not. Trust Him. 

Also...be sure to put perceptions where they belong. Rest in God's truth and the wisdom He has blessed you with. Doing this files off the rough edges that brush against you when experiencing the limited perception of others.