An auctioneer born to perform

What do you a call someone who has black belts in many different styles of martial arts and is a coach and mentor too; an MC at hundreds of events in in front of tens of thousands of people, including in Las Vegas; a radio host; a stage performer in a famous international Aussie revue; a children’s book author; and an auctioneer for the past two decades?

Well, his name is Dave Eller, and he is the latest recruit to the growing Apollo Auctions team with quite possibly the most diverse and interesting background yet.

It’s clear that Dave is a born and bred showman whose passion for performing has been the backbone of his career thus far.

After travelling the world as a martial arts competitor and then MC as well as a few years in the 1990s when he may or may not have been on stage with Jamie Durie, Dave’s love for auctions was born when he saw someone call an auction more than 20 years ago and knew he could easily do better.

“I was watching an auction, and the guy was very arrogant and very unapproachable. It was just not fun,” he recalls.

“I was watching this guy and was thinking that I can do exactly what that guy’s doing, but I can do it better and maybe even make it fun. So, I rang up the Real Estate Institute of Queensland and said, ‘This is what I want to do’ and they went, ‘Oh, well, nobody normally just becomes an auctioneer’.”

Of course, back in the early 2000s, there were very few independent auctioneers around the nation, with most auctions being called by in-house sales agents who picked up a gavel from time to time on a Saturday.

The industry has evolved significantly since that time, with Apollo Auctions today being the biggest independent auction agency in Australasia.

For the next 20 years, Dave – who lives in Bryon Bay and is a licensed auctioneer in New South Wales and Queensland – perfected his auction craft as an independent as well as spending a few years as a sales agent on the Gold Coast.

But earlier this year he began to realise that it was time to be part of something bigger once again.

“I’d seen what Justin has done over the time. I never wanted to join forces with someone else before, but I have always liked what Justin has done and I liked his style of business,” Dave says.

“I realised it was time to look past what I thought was correct for me and try something else, so, I reached out to Justin and gave him a call, and he welcomed me on board straight away. It was just fantastic.

“All the guys that he works with him are amazing, and I like the vibe. And it feels nice to be part of a team because when you’re an independent auctioneer by yourself, you’re not really part of anyone’s team, so, it’s nice to be part of something bigger.”

Dave’s decades of auction experience as well as his love for performing means he not only loves every single call, but can also adapt easily to the myriad unknowns that are ever-present on auction day.

First and foremost, my showmanship is one of my greatest attributes, he says.

“But because I’ve worked on stage and radio and in a variety of functions and places I’m very good at ad-libbing and adapting,” Dave says.

“This is something that some auctioneers can have trouble with, and they can feel a bit awkward when that sort of moment comes up, whereas I thrive on that.

“Sometimes you get people that try and interrupt you and they ask questions and disrupt the whole process. But I try to make them fun and casual, yet, very professional at the same time.

“For me, it’s about showing everyone that you’re a human, too.”

When he’s not calling auctions anywhere from Byron Bay – which currently is a buyers’ market for anyone who has dreams of living in this famous beachside hotspot – to Tweed Heads, Dave continues to give back to martial arts by being a coach and mentor and also started writing animal-themed children’s books a few years ago, too.

But his love for the auction craft is as powerful now as it was all those years ago, when he was possibly one of the first people in the nation to decide to dedicate his life to a real estate auction career.

“I’ve got to make buyers feel good to make them want to bid, because sometimes when people are there for the very first time, they’re so nervous and I know that their palms are sweating,” he says.

“They want to make a bid, but something’s holding them back, and my job is to make them feel comfortable and relaxed so that they make that first bid, and I’ve got a knack of doing that.

“Many people, buyers and sellers, have a perception of what the auction experience is like, and they think it’s going to be nerve wracking and not fun.

“I try to make them come away from an auction thinking, ‘Hey, that was a great experience. That was fun.’ That’s what spreads the word about auctions.”