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Realty owner uses Internet to build success
2004-09-05
Matt Holiday learned the value of hard, honest work at the age of 11 when he got his first job, delivering newspapers to a mostly elderly clientele.
"That's when I first experienced the responsibility of dealing with other people's money as well as the pleasure of being independent and interacting with customers in a way that met their individual needs," he said. "That entrepreneurial spirit has been built in from the beginning -- you can't shake that."
Now a successful businessman in his mid-30s, Holiday has incorporated those lessons and countless others into building and growing one of Spartanburg's newest real estate companies, Holiday Auction and Realty. The firm, which is located off Country Club Road on Bruce Avenue, opened in February.
In addition to being the owner, Holiday serves as broker in charge of his new venture and employs three other agents with backgrounds in accounting, medicine and engineering to round out his own experience in sales and marketing in the building trades.
Holiday Auction and Realty specializes in the sale by auction of commercial, industrial and residential real estate.
"The auction method is one of the oldest ways of selling, dating back 500 years before Christ in ancient Greece," Holiday said. "This method brings buyers and sellers together in one location to compete in the free market. It is capitalism in action, the free market speaking."
While the auction method is time-tested, Holiday said it used to be viewed as somewhat of a last resort in terms of real estate sales.
"But now, it is the first choice for many people who have hard-to-value property or who have assets they need to liquidate quickly," he said. "We can typically condense six months of marketing into 60 to 90 days, so I would definitely say that the number one advantage is the turnaround time."
Technology adds convenience
One of the most unique features of Holiday's company is its use of the Internet to market properties and assets to an almost limitless clientele.
"By using these new technologies, we can open our properties up to the world, which provides more opportunities for Spartanburg, convenience for the buyer, and premium prices for our clients," he said.
In addition to traditional advertising, the company buys time on Internet search engines, which direct potential buyers to its Web site, and it also sends out an Internet newsletter to more than 277,000 readers.
Holiday not only markets properties on the Internet, he allows pre-registered online bidders to participate in real time during the live auction.
"We have someone working on a laptop at each of our auctions allowing online buyers to bid against people on the floor," he said. "The software allows bidders to hear the audio and see the bidding increments on the screen."
For those online bidders who cannot physically be present at the computer during an auction, Holiday also offers proxy bidding, which lets bidders pre-enter opening bids and top bids and then allows the computer to automatically bid for them throughout the auction.
In a recent transaction where a house and its contents were auctioned, 23 states were represented, with 40 percent of the bidding coming from the Internet and 20 percent of the purchases made by online buyers.
Holiday is also eager to form partnerships with more traditional real estate companies as he continues to cultivate his business.
"We can serve as a tool for agents, both commercial and residential, who want to partner with us to sell their clients' properties at auction," he said. "This partnership also offers them the chance to take part in selling personal property or business assets of their clients rather than bypassing this opportunity."
Meeting clients' needs
Holiday says his biggest rewards come from meeting his clients' needs.
"No matter how big or small the client, we treat each one with the same respect and commitment," he said. "I treat small sales as if they were multimillion-dollar sales. I emphasize high ethical standards, and I honestly believe if you do a good job and treat people right, personal and business success will follow."
When David Green's stepfather passed away, he was faced with the daunting task of liquidating years of collectibles.
"My stepfather had received so much joy out of the process of going to flea markets and shops to purchase these things and in telling us about his purchases," Green said. "After his death, I knew I had to streamline my mother's life and home but was unsure of how to go about this because he did not just collect one thing -- his collection was all over the map."
Green, a former resident of Spartanburg who now lives in Kentucky, received a "very brief, tasteful" solicitation from Holiday Auction and Realty.
"This was the answer I had been looking for," he said. "Being licensed auctioneers and realtors, they are a one-stop operation -- anything you want to liquidate, they can handle. ... They just did an exemplary job, and I like to think my stepfather was looking on, pleased to know that other people would now enjoy his collection because so many people were bidding on these things that meant so much to him."
Green's wife, Glenda, and the couple's daughters took an active role in researching many of the items and working closely with Holiday and his staff.
"I've never seen anyone come in and work as hard to make sure that the client is satisfied," Glenda said. "They did their research and provided such great service in a short amount of time -- I would highly recommend them to anyone."
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