“Who Is DreamDirt?”

Five Things To Know About Auctions And DreamDirt

As my summer went on, I learned five valuable lessons about DreamDirt and the auction industry as a whole:

• Putting on a live auction is a lot of work!
• Online land auctions work and they are awesome!
• It takes a TEAM to have a successful auction.
• DreamDirt Auctioneers truly care for the people they work with.
• DreamDirt has extremely knowledgeable employees

1. Putting on a live auction is a lot of work! Even though this summer I attended just one of our large live estate auctions, I know how much time and effort went into creating a very successful sale. We had a great turn out to this auction, but the behind-the-scenes preparation for the day took a lot of man and woman-power. A few of things necessary to pull of a great live auction included: a ton of advertising, moving the machinery to the fairgrounds where the auction was held, finding a caterer for food, electricity at the fairgrounds, safety permits, and many other pre-auction essentials. This also included meeting with the family multiple times to solidify their expectations for the day. At the end of the day, our sellers were very happy with how everything sold, and all our hard work and preparation paid off!

Live auctions are a lot of work, but the sellers were extremely happy with the results of the auction.
All of our hard work and preparation paid off!

2. Online auctions work and they are awesome! Before I started at DreamDirt, I loved the idea of going to a live auction. I didn’t even think that land could be sold online because I had never seen it done before. Growing up, my parents and siblings would always go to estate auctions and we would see all of our friends at the auction. Now I see how this can actually be a detriment to the live auction because bidding against our friends can put a strain on the relationship if one outbids the other. This factor is the reason DreamDirt’s online auctions work so well!

I have watched Tom and Jason receive above market value prices for their land sellers during online auctions because all the bidders are anonymous, and all social pressures are removed. One of my first weeks at DreamDirt, there was an online auction for a property near our Mason City office. A few days prior to the auction, DreamDirt received a couple phone calls asking to meet in-person to bid because they did not have internet access. They met in the office and the auction was just as successful. Another huge bonus of online auctions – bidders can bid from ANYWHERE. Just last week during an auction, there was a gentleman on vacation in Colorado bidding on a farm DreamDirt was selling in Iowa! It is amazing to watch the bids come in and the seller’s eyes light up as they sit in the office here with us. That was my favorite part of this summer – talking with the sellers about their memories on the farm. They truly loved the land they were selling and wanted it to sell for market value. Selling your family’s farm can be an emotional process to go through and the DreamDirt team will always help their sellers through it.

3. It takes a TEAM to have a successful auction. Sometimes we call ourselves the “DreamDirt Team”, but that is exactly what the team is. Everyone in the staff has a specific role to play to make every aspect of the auction successful. From generating interested sellers and buyers, to creating advertising for the auction, to facilitating all the paperwork and legalities, everyone plays a specific part in making sure the selling process is efficient. DreamDirt really strives to create a safe, welcoming, and supportive atmosphere for all employees. Some of my favorite days this summer were when Jason and Tom would say we are having a Team picnic!

4. DreamDirt Auctioneers truly care for the people they work with. This can be taken in two different ways. One being the DreamDirt employees, and the other being DreamDirt’s clients. The employees of DreamDirt look out for each other and outside of work are friends. Tom and Jason have created an environment that is welcoming, and everyone feels valued. The work culture is one a company should strive for. Being a female in a male-dominated industry can be trying at times, but DreamDirt respects everyone’s talents and qualities equally. Tom and Jason constantly push the DreamDirt Team to strive for excellence and grow not only professionally, but also personally.

5. DreamDirt has extremely knowledgeable and very talented employees. Everyone who works for DreamDirt has an important role, and are extremely talented at that role. To start off, Jason and Nicole created DreamDirt at their kitchen table and now run one of the most successful farm auction companies in the industry. Jason is a brilliant business owner who leads by example, continually builds relationships, and is easily considered an expert when it comes to auctions. Nicole is the brainpower behind BidCapture, DreamDirt’s proprietary online bidding platform. Tom, the lead bid caller and auctioneer, has so many connections around the state of Iowa and the country. Rachel is a great Real Estate agent, and is extremely smart at facilitating online auctions and managing BidCapture. Stephanie is your go-to-gal on understanding the paperwork process of completing an auction. Kristen and Rylee are the backbone of DreamDirt’s outreach and are who I worked with most of the summer. They have a great eye for graphic design, and their creativity is outstanding. They truly know how to deliver the best image of DreamDirt to the public as possible. All of the folks who work at DreamDirt have taught me so much this past summer. This company is so strong because of the people who work here.