Rethink Real Estate

In this candid year-end episode of Rethink Real Estate, Ben Brady, CEO of Harcourts Auctions, sits down with Auction Associates Matt Blethen and Chase Boruff to unpack one of the most misunderstood, yet most powerful, tools available to real estate agents today: the non-distressed auction process. After a year filled with longer days on market, stalled listings, and multiple price reductions, the trio dives into the real frustrations they’ve seen across the industry and why so many agents unknowingly work against their own clients.Ben, Matt, and Chase break down the full outreach sequence: how they identify aging listings, what messaging goes out, and the typical responses they hear from agents every single day. From fear of the word “auction,” to ego-driven decision making, to the myth of “good activity,” they expose the patterns that keep listings stagnant far longer than they should be. They also reveal what good agents do differently: leaning into transparency, inviting third-party expertise, and using au