Testimonials

Diana Peterson was my representative on a very difficult sale of a retirement property I was selling.  I am CRO of a company that had this property in its portfolio, and I was selling it to pay back investors in the company.  The property was over 40 years old and was in significant need of cap ex and general upkeep.

Additionally, the property was in a blue collar community that was in significant decline due to the loss of manufacturing jobs in and around the community.  As a result, the value of the property was in a free fall.

Ms. Peterson developed excellent marketing materials and aggressively marketed the property over a period of 60 – 90 days.  We received several expressions of interest and three LOI’s.  We ended up choosing a buyer who we throught was the best fit, but they were very difficult and demanding.  Ms. Peterson worked diligently with the buyer and their representatives to close the transaction, when it appeared on several occasions that it would fall through.

The transaction provided a healthy return to the investors.  I’m convinced that without Ms. Peterson’s steadfast approach, the buyer would have walked and we would have lost the sale.

Sheldon L. StonePractice Leader – Restructuring Advisory Services – Amherst Partners, LLC

We work with AW Properties as a strategic partner in many of our opportunities, they add a lot of value to the sales process, as we focus on machinery & equipment, AW assists with available real estate. They are very responsive and professional.

Gene ArensonSenior Vice President – HYPERAMS, LLC

Diana Peterson sold our luxury home in a difficult market [during the Covid 19 pandemic] in record time.  She guided us through creative ways to sell the property that worked wonderfully.  She is extremely knowledgeable, and gets things done when other realtors just sit and wait.  She is responsive, smart and brings such valuable experience to the table.  I recommend her without hesitation.  You will not be disappointed!

Juliet BeriouNon-Distressed Luxury Home Seller

Dear Diana

This is a personal thank you and a public recommendation just to let you know how grateful I was to partner with you on our recent Sale of the Javore’s home on greenwood in Glencoe.

Your expertise in law, real estate, and auctioneering was the perfect combination to create a successful resolution to a difficult sale.

True diligence and follow through was an absolute necessity to creating the best outcome for our client.

I only hope that we can partner again for future real estate deals.”

Barbara DavisJennings on the Park, Jennings Realty, Inc.

I recommend AuctionWorks! I was having a difficult time selling a 110,000 square foot vacant office building (built in 1972) in Livonia, Michigan. After more than two dozen tours with qualified investors and users, nobody was willing to make an offer at the list price, or even near the price. After two years of marketing, I contacted Diana Peterson to assist in marketing the property through an auction. The concept of an attractive suggested opening bid, with a date certain bid and aggressive marketing, created the demand we were looking for. At the auction date, we received two offers. We were able to bid up the offers. The selected bidder wired a non-refundable deposit and closed within 30 days. The auction process and AuctionWorks was the key to the closing.

Steve EisenshtadtSIOR, CCIM, JD Senior Vice President – Friedman Integrated Real Estate Solutions

Diana Peterson and her company AuctionWorks have been one of my favorite business partners over the past 5 years. I oversee 9 companies and have the opportunity to do business with hundreds of partner businesses and I can say with confidence Diana and AuctionWorks is one of the top 3. Our first property that Diana sold for us was one of the toughest I could ever imagine, an old Asphalt Plant and a small industrial park in a bad location. She did a phenomenal job from start to finish and she then was given a losing golf course in a small farm town and another old Asphalt Plant in a small industrial park. She somehow sold those two properties at good prices and in each case had a couple buyers wanting the properties prior to an auction. I recently challenged Diana with our family lake home that was devalued because of runaway association fees and taxes. We had the home for sale on two different occasions with little to no interest over 4-6 month intervals at a heavily discounted price from the value 5-6 years prior.

After hiring Diana we never looked back, we had a few interested buyers with two offers prior to going to auction and accepted a very good offer that closed within a couple weeks. I have recommended Diana to good friends of mine who ended up having similar success. If anyone wants to move a property fast without the normal hassles of the conventional real estate sales process, I can’t imagine a better person or company than Diana Peterson and AuctionWorks.

Gary RabineCEO – The Rabine Group of Companies

After listing my multimillion-dollar Burr Ridge, IL home for over three years with four different realtors and getting few showings and no bids, I turned my decades of marketing and ERISA retirement plans due diligence experience on non-distressed luxury home auctioneers. After one year of due diligence, I teamed with Chicago’s Auction Works, structured the agreements and worked closely with their staff to customize my own accelerated marketing campaign. In a pre-auction bidding war that resulted in a cash offer, the house sold during the first month for more than my unpublished reserve with backup offers exceeding my expectations. Marketing, not listing, is the key to successful home sales.

To reduce the cost of carry beyond the time certain outcome and the direct marketing expenses, our broad campaign included heavy emphasis on pre-auction bids, non-traditional advertising, media placement and aggressive PR. Because most of the serious inquiries came from foreigners, invaluable proprietary databases were used to target select control groups, local brokers, homeowners, foreign investors and underserved multicultural groups.

Phil ChiricottiNon-Distressed Luxury Home Seller

We worked with AuctionWorks to sell a property in north Arlington Heights that was incredibly resistant to traditional marketing methods. We were very pleased with results that exceeded our expectations. From my perspective, I think the success lay in Diana Peterson and her team’s consistent efforts to over deliver – prompt responses to phone calls, quick and carefully crafted responses to email, and great service over all. Diana and her team at AuctionWorks are an outstanding business ally

Bob RourkePremises Group, LLC

At the time I decided to list my property with AuctionWorks, I was frustrated by trying to sell my primary home through a traditional sales method and realtor. We kept going under contract on that home, but not closing because the buyers making offers did not have adequate funds. I had a second home to sell during the same time period and decided to try the auction method of sale for that home.

My goal was to reduce the hassle and negotiations involved; only deal with qualified buyers; reduce the commissions I would have to pay at closing; and sell the home quickly for at least the same amount I had paid for it the year before. The AuctionWorks platform and team far exceeded my expectations. By igniting a pre-auction bidding war, they achieved a quick, cash sale that netted me over $100,000 more than my unpublished reserve price (the amount I had paid for the property the prior year).

AnonymousNon-Distressed Luxury Home Seller

I retained Diana Peterson to liquidate challenging REO properties located in Will and Winnebago Counties. All properties were successfully sold and closed expeditiously. Diana is a consummate real estate professional. She possesses a wealth of real estate knowledge and experience necessary to achieve success. I highly recommend her and her team at AuctionWorks for those that desire a high level of performance.

Ivan MariduenaSales Executive – Jennings Realty Inc.

I have worked with Diana for the past two years and have been quite impressed with the way she operates AuctionWorks and the results that she has achieved. I introduced Diana and the AuctionWorks platform to a number of clients, she has achieved results beyond their expectations. Diana is extremely knowledgeable about the auction process. She has a very well established business structure and a professional manner that puts clients at ease.

Many clients are uncertain about the auction template but when they commit to the platform and allow Diana to market the asset and manage the process, they quickly become believers with regard to the value of the auction platform. I strongly recommend Diana and AuctionWorks to any property owner looking for a dedicated professional and proven transaction process.

Vince D'AmicoSenior Advisor – SVN Chicago Commercial