Author - Travis Lane

Storage Auction Reality

Allen Haff stars opposite Ton Jones in Spike TV's hit show Auction Hunters. When compared to his burly, tattooed partner, Allen seems conspicuously clean-cut, and this is part of the success of the duo's on-screen appeal. As a celebrity, Allen Haff is estimated to be worth about $1 million, and with Auction Hunters renewed for a fourth season, he's bound to gain in popularity.

Allen was born in Michigan, where he grew up and went to college before moving to California in the early 2000s. A second-generation antiques dealer, Allen has been in the business for more than 20 years. He paid his way through college by buying and trading antiques, and he built his antiques business at the age of 24. He was also an early eBay pioneer, buying and selling rare items before the site grew to the prominence it holds today.

Given his long history in the antiques business, it's little surprise that Allen found a niche in auction hunting. He opened Hollywood & Vintage, a shop specializing in Hollywood collectibles and memorabilia, in 2008, and stocks the shop with items from storage auctions, estate sales, yard sales and more.

Prior to his work on Auction Hunters, Allen appeared on several reality TV shows including My House is Worth What?? And Clean House. He's also hosted several awards shows and served as an extra for television and film spots.

When not searching for hidden treasures at auctions and estate sales, Allen Haff is a devoted animal lover. Indeed, he shares this passion with his co-star Ton Jones. Allen is a regular donor to several major animal charities, and he rescues and fosters strays out of his own home as well.

Ton Jones Bio

March 23, 2012

Storage Auction Reality

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Clinton Jones, more commonly known as “Ton” by fans, is part of a duo of storage unit buyers appearing on the show Auction Hunters. The show airs on Spike TV and is has been renewed for its fourth season. Ton's participation on Auction Hunters has helped launch him into celebrity status and helped earn his celebrity net worth of over $1 million. Before becoming a celebrity auction hunter, however, Ton Jones already had an interesting and diverse life.

Ton grew up in Antelope Valley, California, where he began fostering an early interest in collectors items. Specifically, his interests are in guns, knives, swords and other weaponry. He's also knowledgeable about rare jewelry and coins. In 2005, he discovered the world of auction hunting and realized that his background as a collector and hobbyist made him uniquely qualified to turn a profit on valuables found in storage auctions.

When not auction hunting, Ton is an outdoors man and animal wrangler. He's passionate about wildlife, and he volunteers in his free time at Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Phelan, California. The sanctuary is a private charity organization that rescues and rehabilitates captive-bred wild animals like big cats and exotic birds. Ton's particularly passionate about reptiles, and he helps handle the rehabilitated cobras, rattlesnakes and other venomous snakes that come through the gates of the sanctuary.

As an animal wrangler, Ton has appeared on multiple different TV programs including Pitbulls and Parolees and several episodes of I Was Bitten. He's also an avid UFC fan, and always tries to find time in his day to watch a fight no matter how busy his schedule may be.

Why Do People Lose Their Property In Storage Auctions?

March 21, 2012

Lets look at the primary reasons that storage units are sold at public auctions. Some people go to jail. If they already have their property in a storage unit, it is difficult to make a payment from behind bars. If they went to jail and had a relative or friend move their property from their home into storage and the relative or friend gets behind on the payment, their property is unknowingly sold. Some people die and their family members are not aware that the deceased had property in a storage unit. Others lose their jobs or become ill and fall behind on their payments. It only takes a few months before the costs really add up and some people just can't afford to get current.

In other less tragic scenarios, a person may get a job offer and have to relocate on short notice. They pack in a hurry and everything but the essentials go into storage. Over time these items become less important and the cost to transport them to another state is overwhelming, so they just relinquish the property to the facility or quit making payments. Also, when people relocate, their addresses & phone numbers change. If there is a problem with their credit card and the facility is unable to reach the tenant, notices are placed in the newspaper and then their property is sold.

Do People Really Store Items Like Gold, Cash, Jewelry & Guns In Storage Units?

March 21, 2012

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I know that it's not easy to believe, but you can find some extremely valuable items in storage units. In just the last year alone, I have found gold in storage units four times. The first time, I hit the jackpot. There was a safe that contained 5 jewelry boxes full of gold jewelry among other things. Two of the times I found a single piece of gold jewelry and another time, I found a small jewelry box with about seven gold & diamond rings in it.

That same year, I found 2 shotguns, a rifle and an antique pistol from the 1880's. I have found some cash a few times but in most cases it was less than $300. I have spoken with people who have found larger sums of cash in storage units that contained illegal drugs. I have even spoken with someone who found a skeleton in an ice chest. In situations like these I recommend getting the proper authorities involved.

The moral of the story is that you never know exactly what you are going to get and that you have to take the good with the bad. But, if you are persistent, you can acquire some incredible possessions and at the some time make a healthy profit reselling items purchased at auctions.

Last Minute Changes To HB 1259 Keep Texas Storage Facilities From Moving Forward

March 20, 2012

Storage Auction News

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Unfortunately, the section of HB 1259 which would have granted storage facilities the ability to post their legal notices on a publicly available website, was stripped from the bill in order to get other amendments passed. We were almost there, until the lobbyists for the newspapers swarmed in to impose their opposition. Of course newspapers in Texas would oppose this change, they stand to lose millions in annual revenue. By opposing this bill, they have essentially held Texas storage facilities captive and forbid the use of the most effective technology for notifying the public of an upcoming storage auction event - The Internet.

I understand, that to the newspapers, this is all about money. But what they need to realize is that technology has changed and that printed legal notices no longer represent the best interest of storage facilities, the public or the delinquent tenant. Perhaps, in the future, our law makers will consider this and we can move forward into today's technology.

Meet Some Of Texas’s Best Storage Auctioneers

March 20, 2012

Storage Auction News

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The following auctioneers specialize in storage lien sales in Texas. I decided to highlight these auctioneers for two purposes. The first reason is to familiarize new storage auction buyers with the auctioneers in our area. The second reason is to provide a resource for storage facilities who are currently looking for a professional to conduct their auction. We did not receive any compensation from these auctioneers for this endorsement, we are recommending them based on their professionalism alone.

Davis Auctioneers is a family owned and operated business that has been in the auction profession since 1988. A large portion of their business involves conducting lien holder sales for storage facilities, including a majority of the U-Haul storage centers located throughout Texas. Besides storage unit auctions, Luther Davis also handles estate auctions, real estate auctions, online auctions, benefit auctions & farm, ranch & business liquidations. In June 2008, Luther Davis was selected as the 2008 State Champion Auctioneer at the Texas Auctioneer Association's annual meeting and convention. Luther is a member of the following associations; National Auctioneers Association, Texas Auctioneers Association, Texas Self Storage Association, Burleson Area Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Realtors, Texas Association of Realtors, Greater Fort Worth Area Realtors & the Fellowship of Christian Auctioneers. For more information, you can reach Luther at luther@davisauctiontx.com.

Buddy Thomas is the owner and principal auctioneer for Thomas & Associates Auctioneers. He specializes in self storage lien auctions and currently services over 60 locations in Texas, from Sherman to McAllen. Buddy has been licensed as an auctioneer by the state of Texas since 1993. He also is a past President of the Texas Auctioneers Association, having served as President in 2006-2007. He has conducted auctions throughout the United States, while employed by a national auction company. Auctions conducted include major business liquidations for Fortune 500 companies, FDIC, hospitals, machine shops, IRS, hardware stores, major banking entities, farm liquidations, and large & small estates. He is a member of Texas Self Storage Association and Texas Auctioneers Association. You can contact him for your storage auction needs as well as on site business and estate liquidations. Update: Buddy Thomas passed away on October 31st, 2014. He will be greatly missed. Chad Larson has taken over Buddy's accounts. You can reach Chad at Auctions@BuddyThomas.com.

Colonel Walt Cade retired from a position in a tax accounting firm where he specialized in tax law and financial planning. He completed the program at the Texas Auction Academy under Mike Jones, and now works full-time as an auctioneer. As one of the most productive auctioneers in the country, Walt runs about 50 storage auctions each year. In addition to storage auctions, he also works on real estate and ranch auctions. Walt appears as an auctioneer on Storage Wars Texas and maintains a website that shows his upcoming auction schedule. You can reach Walt at taxman14865@sbcglobal.net.

Terry Waters Auctioneering is a family-owned business located in Aledo, Texas that services cities throughout the state. Terry Waters handles storage, consignment and estate auctions as well as business liquidations. His wife, Lou Ann, assists with bids and handles check-in/check-out with Auction Flex software. They both work with other auction companies to provide bid calling and ring work services. Terry and his wife are graduates from the Texas Auction Academy and a professional member of the Ringmen's Institute. You can contact Terry at terry@twauctions.com.

Why Do Some Storage Facilities List The Contents In The Storage Unit?

March 20, 2012

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I recently received the following question from a new member named Brian.

Hello Travis,

I just signed up and got the list. On the list, some of the locations have "The location above is selling xyz item". How do they know this? Should we be worried if they know whats in it?

Brian,

That's a great question. Storage facilities in the state of Texas are required to provide a brief description of the contents of the storage unit in the legal notice that they publish. Some storage facilities choose to ignore this as they do some of the other requirements in Chapter 59 of the Texas Property Code, but we won't get into that at this time.

Once the storage facility has made several attempts to contact the tenant for payment, with no success, they will cut the lock and usually inventory the contents of the storage unit based on what they can see from the door. Very rarely do they ever move things or open boxes.

Should you be worried about this? Not really. Most storage facility managers & owners are very honest and respectable people. I'm sure there are a few bad apples, as there is in any business, that do enter the unit and remove the valuables before the auction. However, if you are only bidding on what you can see from the door, what may have been removed from the unit will not effect you.

I hope this answers you question and alleviates your concerns.

Great Commercial Locations To Hold Your Garage Sale

March 20, 2012

One of our members, Mikey, recently asked:

Hi, I was reading your starter guide and you said that you would rent a commercial property to sell your items. I was hoping you could elaborate on this. Was this a empty parking lot of a business that's not open on weekends? Or was this a flea market type setting? I have no place to sell anything I purchase and would like to keep this venture separate from my house & personal space. I don't want to become a hoarder. Lol. Any help or suggestions you could offer would be greatly appreciated. Mikey

Mikey,

I used a few different commercial locations. At first, my garage sales were held in front of the Morningstar mini storage that was close to my home. I rented a personal unit from them and one day I found out that they will let their tenants hold garage sales in their parking lots. That facility could handle parking for about 18 cars. Our garage sales became so popular that we were having parking issues so we decided to look for another location. The last time I checked, Uncle Bob's mini storage also allowed their tenants hold garage sales at their facilities. You can check with the facilities in your area, I'm sure the policy varies from one location to the next. Flea markets are also excellent places to resell your merchandise.

I also rented a used car lot on the weekends. It was a auto consignment lot that was turned into another business and didn't have any cars on it. It worked out well for quite some time. Vacant commercial land is everywhere in our city, just track down the owner of the land and ask if he or she is interested in renting it on the weekends. I have found that most of these land owners are happy to have some extra income on their vacant property. Here is a tip to make your garage sales successful: Find a location on a busy street and put up a very large double sided sign. This will get you plenty of attention and if your prices are reasonable, you will quickly develop a following.

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March 20, 2012

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