Concierge Auctions Closes 2010 With Successful Sales in 10 States, Including a Number of Record Transactions

NEW YORK, Jan. 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Living up to its earned reputation as the first stop for savvy luxury home sellers who prefer an accelerated alternative to the uncertainties of selling today via traditional brokerage methods, New York City-based Concierge Auctions sold premier properties throughout 10 states during 2010 and set a number of record prices. The company's widespread, targeted marketing and sales efforts attracted buyer interest from all US states and 140 countries and generated an average of 93 prospects and 9 bidders per property sold.

"2010 was an outstanding year for Concierge Auctions. Amidst recessive to stagnant real estate and financial markets, our auctions consistently produced positive - many times even record - prices for our selling clients. Our reputation with sophisticated sellers and serious, real buyers has flourished, and real estate agents have come to know us as valuable partners," stated CEO George Graham. "Our platform is an enticing proposition for sellers who value time and choose to obtain the highest current price for their property so they can move on with their life. Armed with strong, accomplished project management and marketing teams - over double the size as this time last year - we are poised and prepared for continued momentum in 2011."

Building on a centuries-old method for selling the finest art and antiquities, Concierge Auctions, a preferred auction provider to Sotheby's International Realty® and other luxury brokerage firms nationwide, combines the latest technologies and marketing programs with experienced personnel to generate the maximum value for the most premier properties through "live" competition. Furthering its pursuit to allow interested buyers worldwide to participate in its auctions, Concierge Auctions expanded in 2010 to accept bids via the Internet in addition to in person and over the telephone. The Internet bidding platform allows bidders to hear audio, watch video and view images of the property while bidding.

"As a client of the Sotheby's Auction House, I'm both familiar with and confident in the auction format as the most efficient process to produce the highest value for the finest, most unique items," stated Heidi Steiger, who sold her 19-acre Tuxedo Park, New York estate through Concierge Auctions in November. "I was extremely impressed by the Concierge team. They followed through on every promise and generated more showings in five weeks than the property had experienced in nearly three years on the market. Concierge clearly knows how to separate premier properties from the pack and garner the focus of qualified buyers."

In today's market the execution of a contract to sell a luxury home is typically only the beginning of the negotiations, as mortgage contingencies, inspections and buyer trepidation open the seller up to further scrutiny. In the Concierge Auctions process, the contract is the end. There are no contingencies, and closings occur in 30 days or less.

Significant sales conducted by Concierge Auctions during 2010 included:

• An 8,821-square-foot luxury residence in the Hualalai Resort, home to the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, on the exclusive Kona-Kohala Coast in Hawaii, owned and designed by award-winning singer, actor and cultural pop icon Cher, which sold for $8.72 million to Bob Parsons, the founder and CEO of web-hosting company GoDaddy.com. "Following our successful sale of two Hualalai homes alongside Concierge Auctions [in 2009], we were pleased to work with their team again," stated Rob Kildow, Principal Broker at Hualalai Realty and representative of both the buyer and seller in the transaction. "The outcome was a great result for all parties involved."

• Teton Valley Ranch, one of the most storied ranches in the Rocky Mountain West previously owned by a son of David Abercrombie, co-founder of the Abercrombie & Fitch chain of outdoor and clothing stores. After being listed for $29.5 million, the over 100-acre ranch sold for the highest sale price achieved in more than a year in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. "After marketing the property for over 18 months, it was difficult to attract sufficient buyer interest until we engaged Concierge Auctions. The Concierge platform brought real buyers to the table, including CEOs, accomplished entrepreneurs, real estate developers and many other highly-qualified individuals," stated listing broker Richard Lewis of Jackson Hole Sotheby's International Realty.

• Fawn Hill Farm, a spectacular 34-acre colonial estate with a working farm originally built in the late 1930s, sold for $6.4 million, a 2010 record price for a residence in Morris County, New Jersey. "We are thrilled to have accomplished our objective of selling the property for the maximum market price without contingencies. After trying traditional marketing tactics to sell this property over the past five years, it is remarkable that the Concierge Auctions team was able to identify over 125 buyer prospects in only five weeks," stated Fawn Hill Farm seller Herb Glatt.

Concierge Auctions is already off to a strong first quarter of 2011, with auctions scheduled for a new, Gold LEED-certified "green" residence in Aspen, Colorado, which will be auctioned with no minimum bid on January 28 (www.AuctionAspen.com), and an upstate New York estate on 12 acres in Cold Spring, New York, which will be auctioned on March 31 (www.ColdSpringAuction.com), among others.

The company is currently accepting applications from luxury sellers nationwide with premier, storied properties. For more information about Concierge Auctions and its services please call 888-966-4759 or visit www.ConciergeAuctions.com.

About Concierge Auctions: Concierge Auctions is the preeminent luxury real estate auction firm serving high-end sellers nationwide.  A leading provider of services for individual and institutional owners of luxury residential real estate, Concierge Auctions is revolutionizing the industry by offering an accelerated marketing process that obtains fair market value for high-end properties in a determined time frame.  As a preferred auction provider to Sotheby's International Realty® and other luxury brokerage firms, the company has executed auctions throughout the country, from New York to Hawaii.  The company's database includes more than 100,000 luxury real estate buyers and agents from all 50 states and 38 countries and territories.  The principals of Concierge Auctions have been involved in the transfer of more than $2 billion in luxury real estate sales over the past 10 years.  For more information, call 888-966-4759 or visit www.ConciergeAuctions.com.

SOURCE Concierge Auctions