Real Estate Agents Aren’t Going to Like This… But They Need to Hear It

In this candid year-end episode of Rethink Real Estate, Ben Brady, CEO of Harcourts Auctions, sits down with Auction Associates Matt Blethen and Chase Boruff to unpack one of the most misunderstood, yet most powerful, tools available to real estate agents today: the non-distressed auction process. After a year filled with longer days on market, stalled listings, and multiple price reductions, the trio dives into the real frustrations they’ve seen across the industry and why so many agents unknowingly work against their own clients.Ben, Matt, and Chase break down the full outreach sequence: how they identify aging listings, what messaging goes out, and the typical responses they hear from agents every single day. From fear of the word “auction,” to ego-driven decision making, to the myth of “good activity,” they expose the patterns that keep listings stagnant far longer than they should be. They also reveal what good agents do differently: leaning into transparency, inviting third-party expertise, and using auction as a high-integrity way to uncover true market value quickly.The conversation then shifts to the outcomes agents never talk about — the listings that don’t sell at auction. Instead of viewing those moments as failures, the team explains why they often lead to the clearest price discovery, the fastest path to a realistic relaunch, and in many cases, a sale that would have taken months longer traditionally. If you’ve ever wondered how the auction process really works behind the scenes, what objections the team hears daily, or how to stop relying on hope as a strategy, this episode is the reset button most agents didn’t know they needed.Timestamps & Key Topics:[00:00:00] — Introduction [00:00:36] — Why agents fear the auction word [00:01:52] — Biggest industry frustrations in 2025 [00:03:45] — How the auction outreach sequence actually works [00:06:18] — Common agent objections & how to overcome them [00:10:44] — Why price reductions aren’t a strategy [00:13:06] — Ego in real estate: the hidden problem [00:15:22] — What great agents do differently [00:18:04] — The REAL downsides of staying traditional [00:22:15] — Why the auction process isn’t “marketing” [00:26:11] — What happens when a property STILL doesn’t sell [00:30:14] — The biggest disconnect agents have [00:33:00] — What we’re improving for 2026 [00:36:40] — Why auction volume will grow in the U.S. [00:38:51] — Closing thoughts & call to action🔗 Related Resources:For more info on Harcourts Auctions, our non-distressed auction platform, visit: https://www.harcourtsauctions.comConnect with Ben Brady and the Harcourts Auctions team:Facebook: www.facebook.com/BenbradyharcourtsLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ben-brady-0b223517Instagram: www.instagram.com/harcourtsauctionsFacebook: www.facebook.com/HarcourtsAuctions

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