In 2017, approximately 55% of farmland in Iowa was sold via auction and only 17% was sold by listing. The reason for this is that land auctions create an ideal outcome in terms and conditions and price. Auctions bring more money by nature due to the fact that your bidders compete with HIGHER prices, whereas in real estate sales sellers are forced to continually return to negotiating a lower price. In addition, auctions create competitive bidding, are rid of contingencies, feature as-is selling conditions, simple negotiations, among other things.