I just finished my AARE designation class in San Antonio, TX and was amazed to learn from fellow members of the class just how big this next wave of real estate sold at auction really is. It appears that EVERYBODY is jumping on the auction train and we have certainly started to feel the effects here in Myrtle Beach. My phone is literally ringing off the hook and I am finding myself caught in a back-log of over a weeks worth of calls to return. It just goes to show you that the age-old "must be in foreclosure" stigma of auctions has finally started to dissolve and the general public wants a change from the run-of-the-mill listing procedures of yesteryear. With the advent of the new Auction Network as well as positive press from the NAR, we are finding ourselves in such a high level of demand that we can't even begin to grow fast enough to keep up. I am curious as to the activity some of the other AvtiveRain members are seeing, do to this massive financial turndown in the real estate market, and what some of the opinions of public perception of the auction process are in different parts of the country. This is the next big wave and I think we are all about to be inundated with calls from desperate sellers looking for a way out-some of us already are!! Based on the positive effects previous national housing downturns have had on the auction industry, one can only imagine where this round will leave us. Please share with us your recent experiences in business increases and your opinion of where this is all going. Some of the "old heads" of auctioneering are litterally walking around with glazed eyes mirroring reflections of dollar signs!!