The 29-year-old might never have won a bidding war on a property that piqued his interest, yet he is clearly adept at shifting simulated lots under the hammer.
A sales manager based at Harcourts Grenadier, Allison prevailed after an intense two-day competition in Auckland last week, where 22 professional auctioneers were vying for the senior crown.
“You all get locked in a room and one by one you go out and auction this property,” explained Allison, who also claimed the senior title in 2017.
“The bidders are throwing all sorts of curly questions at you and the bidding sequence itself is designed to be very challenging. The numbers are a lot harder than anything you’d face in reality.”
The field is trimmed to six on day two and the scenarios are even trickier for the finalists who confront complex legal questions and sly bidders.
“It’s a bit all over the show really. One guy said he’s been bankrupt and he’s just coming out of that and would he be able to buy the property. There was a guy wearing a mask saying he’d just nipped out of isolation and was just bidding with gestures.”
Allison, who has sold more than 2000 properties since diversifying into auctioneering in 2013, said judges based their decision on several factors.
“There’s the way you come across … that rapport and connection you have with the bidders. Being correct and accurate with your numbers is a big one. If you get numbers wrong you’re marked down for that,” he said.
Allison started out as a real estate agent and after delving into auctioneering, that facet of his career intensified after one of his colleagues fell ill.
“I did it as a bit of fun and then our main auctioneer Roger Dawson developed throat cancer.
“I got thrown in the deep end a couple of years ago, I haven’t looked back and thankfully Roger’s back calling better than ever,” said Allison, who was back to reality today with 10 auctions on his slate.
