DreamDirt vs. Auction Companies in Iowa

We are a farmland auction and full-service brokerage company based in Iowa. But what sets us apart from other auction companies and auctioneers?

DreamDirt is Different. That is more than a tagline. What we offer, our results, and our clients’ experiences are different – in a positive way.

We Care About Our Sellers

Unlike most other companies, we solely focus on our sellers. You are not a commodity to us. You, as a seller, are our number one priority. Many farm management companies who conduct auctions, as well, favor the buying crowd. This is because they market and advertise to buyers, who in return use their services as farm managers. Unfortunately, there can sometimes be disappointing situations in our industry where the buyer benefits more than the seller. We do not align with these values, as we strive to achieve the greatest results for our sellers by having no conflict of interest. As a priority, we promise to always be free from self-interest.

We Conduct All Types of Land Auctions

This post will refer to different types of auctions and I want to define them before you read the material. We offer all three options, as well as customization for each one.

Live Auction: This is an in-person auction with an auctioneer crying for bids. There are no online bidders. Participants bid by meeting at a predetermined venue local to the town where the farm is. You might call this an “old-fashioned auction.”

Live Auction with Online Bidding: This is the same auction as above, with the addition of online bidding synchronized to the live event. Our auction team works to inform online bidders where the live bidding is at and we accept both online and live bids during the auction. 

Online Only Auction: This type of auction does not include a live crowd:  All bidding occurs online and the auction is timed to close on a certain day and time. 

It is important to note that regardless of the auction type you choose, the marketing plan for all of them is the same. Each auction method gets the same exact advertising and marketing in our system. The only difference is how the bids are taken.

We Conduct Live and Online Auctions

Many companies only conduct live auctions with no online bidding. We are proud to say we were the pioneers in online land auctions and introduced it to our industry over a decade ago. Many people laughed at the idea of selling farmland online but after Covid-19 hit, others started to see the powerful impact our online auctions were having. Many companies realized how important online bidding was and began to adopt the very method and process we’d perfected long before. Not only is it more convenient for bidders, but it also produces the greatest auction results for sellers! There are so many reasons online bidding is powerful for the seller. The most notable benefit of selling online only is the reduced social pressures bidders feel when bidding at home versus in a live auction in front of a crowd of peers. Bidders enjoy and feel more comfortable when they can bid in private and with reduced pressures. They are often able to think more clearly and bid to their maximum potential. We still conduct in-person auctions, where our team chants and calls for bids when our clients prefer this method. However, we recommend the online-only auction method to provide you with the maximum profit. We include online bidding in our auctions which many other companies do not even offer. A lack of this service can limit your buyer pool and lower your earning potential.

We Use Print and Digital Advertising

There are still auction companies in Iowa that ONLY do traditional print advertising which is sad for the sellers that will never get their farm fully exposed. While we also use traditional print advertising, we have found very powerful opportunities for engagement and reach from our online, digitally-targeted advertising. We understand that it’s important to run your auction in the local newspapers and hang up flyers around town, but we go well beyond that! We use all social media platforms to advertise your farm to everyone across the state and nationally through pictures and drone videos. As you can see, we have nearly 100,000 followers on social media through our various platforms and pages. We also use paid digital ads online and on social media to promote your farm auction to specific demographics to get more people to register and bid on your auction. We also use SEO by using descriptive keywords on your auction listing and through Google. There is no reason that someone should not see your auction in some way. We also send out emails to our opt-in email blast which contains thousands of potential bidders. Additionally, we place your auction on several MLS websites which syndicates out too many other aggregation websites to ensure you get maximum exposure. We also offer many customizations in our marketing products to ensure you get what you want and what is needed to market your farm properly. For a full description of our marketing plan, click HERE.

Team of Industry Professionals

We are proud to have an in-house staff of auctioneers, licensed brokers, licensed agents, closing specialist, and marketing coordinator to provide you complete assistance when selling your farm. This is our full-time job, unlike many other auctioneers who only sell land part-time in their free time. Another fun fact about the auction industry in Iowa is that it’s not regulated. You don’t have to have a license to be an auctioneer. That is scary! You don’t have to be fearful of our team of auctioneers at DreamDirt though. We have gone beyond the basics by attending Certified Auctioneer School, World Wide College of Auctioneering, and Professional Ringman Institute to make sure we are providing the safest and most educated services for our clients.  From this education and many years of experience; we’ve put ourselves in a position to sell over 1,000 tracts of farmland for sellers. Our company is a clear leader in experience and qualifications. We are committed to having a team of professionals and require each salesperson to have their real estate license and carry Errors and Omissions Insurance. It’s our duty to protect our sellers and we do so by making sure our team and staff are well educated! 

We Understand Agriculture

Agriculture is many things to many people. There are so many people that make it one of the best industries in the world. We are proud members of the agricultural community as agricultural auctioneers and many of our team members at DreamDirt either grew up or currently live on a farm. Our auctioneers and agents raise livestock and grow crops and have a full understanding of agriculture and farming. We all love farmland, and we understand the financials of farming. It’s our passion to share information about agriculture and tell your farm’s story. We understand how difficult it may be to sell a farm you inherited from your grandparents, parents, friend, or family and the emotional connection you may have with your farm. Don’t be afraid to share your family farm’s story with us, as we enjoy hearing about all the activities you used to do growing up on the farm.

We’d be more than glad to share more testimonials, videos of our auctions, and marketing packages with you! Please reach out to get started by scheduling your free consultation with our team at DreamDirt today or contact us with questions.