‘Sliding doors moment’: 22-year old-auctioneer makes waves on The Block

Ash Marton Realty auctioneer and agent Ryan King has appeared in Sunday’s episode to conduct an auction for House 5 contestants, Rick and Tayla, drawing attention due to his personality and abilities despite his age.

The pair came second after King helped push the property to $4.355 million, $905,000 above reserve, by playfully engaging bidders, making jokes, and encouraging them to make a move.

Speaking to REB, King said the attention he received because of the show was “crazy”, but he was fortunate to get publicity so early in his career.

“I feel like one of the luckiest people in the world, to be honest,” he said.

Inspired by his father’s experience in real estate and the prospect of a job without a tertiary education, King joined McGrath as an agent at 18 before entering and winning a novice Victorian auctioneering competition.

A year later, he joined Ash Marton Realty and formed Team King with his personal assistant.

Rather than putting himself forward for The Block, King was selected by agency director Ash Morton to call the auction, with the news revealed during a morning sales meeting five months ago.

“We all lost our minds, and that was pretty much it … it was the best news ever. It was a sliding doors moment.”

Despite being an auctioneer for more than two years, Victoria’s new reserve price disclosure laws have emerged as a test for King, requiring him to step up and demonstrate his capabilities.

As a naturally high-energy individual, King said his strategy to elicit responses from bidders had been to use light-hearted wit and humour, breaking the ice and making people comfortable.

“I’ve always tried to find an opportunity to say something cheeky … normally that can help put a smile on people’s face and then just keep the energies high, laughing when you can,” he said.

Additionally, King made sure to check in with every single bidder to confirm they were out or whether they would bid anything more, to ensure there “wasn’t any money left on the table”.

At one point in the auction, buyer’s agent Andrew Date joked that if he put another bid in, King would have to jump into the property’s pool.

“I [later] jumped in the pool, but fortunately Tayla and Ash wanted to join me, and it was a beautiful moment. I’ll probably frame that photo in my house because it’s such a cool memory,” he said.

Auction results defy slowing market and new laws

Despite the recent market slowdown and reserve price disclosure laws, the season finale of The Block saw all five of the contestants’ homes sold, with Courtney and Sev taking the top spot with a $1,270,000 profit.

King said the result was “market-defying”, noting the local agents couldn’t believe the results they achieved.

In light of the changed conditions, he said it was essential for property professionals to be honest and upfront with vendors from the beginning, using relevant data to back up their advice.

“So they enter the market knowing that our property isn’t overpriced or underpriced, but that it’s at fair market value, so the owners know that we’re going to be hitting it right from the start.

“Once you do that, you will generate the momentum from the campaign naturally.”

King said that while vendors and buyers underestimated him when he first started in the industry, his team had been a consistent presence in the market and had earned people’s trust.

“There’s a famous saying by John McGrath: ‘If you’re good enough, you’re old enough’,’ he said.

“Although we look young, the way that we compose ourselves is the difference, and no one treats us with disrespect or treats us as if we’re young because of the way that we handle clients and situations.”