Did you lose a listing you thought was a sure thing?
Perhaps you nearly passed out in the crazy summer heat at a too-long day of open homes.
Maybe you’ve been asked to head up an auction that will see you miss your partner’s birthday lunch.
Well, if you thought you were having a bad week, spare a thought for the families with children who are seriously ill and requiring hospitalisation a long way from home.
Many of these families rely on a bed and a friendly face at Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC), a service that has been helping Australians with a home-away-from-home for more than 40 years.
When Fox Auctions managing director and auctioneer Jack Harris volunteered at RMHC in Randwick last year, it gave him a little more perspective on his fortunate circumstances.
“There are a lot of agents doing it tough and home owners are doing it tough financially,” Harris says. “But despite everything that’s going on, you go and spend time in there and you really understand that, hey, I’ve got my health, I’ve got a roof over my head and I’ve got a job. I’m doing pretty well.”
Harris says it was easy to see just how important RMHC was for boosting morale and supporting families.
“It’s heartbreaking,” he says. “For a lot of these families, the father or the mother still has to work. I was sitting next to a young mother last week who had a three-year-old son who had a very rare form of cancer, and they’d been in the house since Christmas, and the father still has to work – he can’t take six weeks off work.
“So, you put yourself in those shoes and you think, not only is life falling apart, with your child seriously ill, but life still has to go on, you’ve still got bills to pay.”
The charity provides free accommodation, home-cooked meals, a learning program for school-aged kids to keep up with schoolwork and a supportive environment with other families that are going through similar struggles.
Deciding he wanted to do something significant to help raise funds for RMHC, Harris has created Bids for Beds, a new charity event to be held on March 18.
Not only will Harris aim to set a record for the number of on-site auctions held on one day by an individual auctioneer, donating all fees to RMHC, he’s also secured a $1000 donation from each participating real estate agent and he’s encouraging auctioneers and agents from around Australia to get involved.
“I’ve already got seven auction bookings, which is great, and we’re trying to mobilise the real estate industry to get behind this event,” says Harris. “So far we’ve got about 15 auctioneers across Australia who have each committed to doing one auction for Bids for Beds on March 18, and we’re hoping for more auctioneers and agents to jump on board.”
Director of Benson Auctions Stu Benson is among the auctioneers joining the fundraiser and while he acknowledges the tough property market, he agrees these industry trials pale in comparison to what many families are experiencing with their sick children.
“I think Jack got halfway through his first sentence and I said ‘I’m in’”, says Benson. “As a father of four myself, I know that charities like Ronald McDonald House provide an immeasurable service to our community, and I’m honoured to be a part of Bids for Beds in 2023. I can’t wait to hear a chorus of gavels dropping right around Australia on March 18 to let them know how much we care.”
Bidders and spectators can expect family-friendly events with free, freshly brewed coffee available from the Domain coffee cart at each site and both on and off-site donation points to help Harris reach his target of raising $100,000 for RMHC.
Harris reports that in 2022, there were 102,200 auctions scheduled across Australia. If the profit from just a tiny percentage of these auctions was donated to Bids for Beds each year it could easily generate millions of dollars for Ronald McDonald House.
“That’s kind of where we’re going with this long term,” says Harris. “If around this time of year, every year, we run the Bids for Beds auction day and if every single auctioneer in Australia donated one of their auctions to the program, it would be a way for the real estate industry to donate money to a good cause while going about their day-to-day business.”
Toby Llewellyn, an auctioneer with Sold Buy Auction, says it’s a rare opportunity for auctioneers and agents to come together collectively and use their skills to support the same cause.
“I am thrilled to be involved in the first ever Bids for Beds day, which gives me a unique way to give back to the community alongside my industry peers,” he says.
Source: agent.domain.com.au