Fowler Auction & Real Estate Service

What Fowler Auction & Real Estate Service does

Fowler Auction & Real Estate Service, Inc. is a privately held, independently owned regional auction firm headquartered in Toney, Alabama (Madison County, just north of Huntsville). Founded circa 1976, the company conducts both live on-site and online auctions of real estate and personal property across Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia. Its principal Mickey Fowler is identified as an owner, and the firm operates without external funding, parent company, or public listing.

The company generates revenue through transaction-based fees on auction outcomes, primarily a 10% buyer's premium on real estate hammer prices, seller commissions for conducting auctions, and earnest-money deposits (typically 20% of purchase price) held in escrow. Its product surface spans residential real estate, commercial real estate, land and agricultural acreage, farm and construction equipment, personal property (furnishings, collectibles, firearms), and business liquidations. Distribution combines direct-to-consumer live auctions, by-appointment property viewings, and a self-service online bidding platform.

The underlying technology is the MarkNet Alliance auction platform, which powers real-time online bidding, bidder registration, listings, and payment processing on bids.fowlerauction.com. Notable platform features include an Ultimate Choice Bidding format that allows individual-or-entirety bids with combination rounds, an Auto Bid Extend function that prevents last-second sniping, SSL encryption for transaction security, and email/text outbid notifications. The firm is staffed by eight named licensed auctioneers holding multi-state credentials and advanced designations including CAI, CES, and GPPA.

Name

Fowler Auction & Real Estate Service

Legal name

Fowler Auction & Real Estate Service, Inc.

Website

https://fowlerauction.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Fowler Auction & Real Estate Service, Inc. is a privately held regional auction firm founded circa 1976 and headquartered in Toney, Alabama. It conducts live and online auctions of residential and commercial real estate, land, equipment, and personal property across Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Auction Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121), Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAJAEAA

Residential Real Estate Auctions

Business & Public Services/Real Estate Services (Brokerage, Property Management)/Real Estate Auction Services

SECONDARYBPAJAEAB

Commercial Real Estate Auctions

Business & Public Services/Real Estate Services (Brokerage, Property Management)/Real Estate Auction Services

SECONDARYBPAJAEAD

Land & Farm/Ranch Real Estate Auctions

Business & Public Services/Real Estate Services (Brokerage, Property Management)/Real Estate Auction Services

SECONDARYBPAJAEAF

Foreclosure/REO & Distressed Property Auctions

Business & Public Services/Real Estate Services (Brokerage, Property Management)/Real Estate Auction Services

SECONDARYBPAJAEAG

Bankruptcy, Probate & Estate Property Auctions

Business & Public Services/Real Estate Services (Brokerage, Property Management)/Real Estate Auction Services

Keywords

• Auction services
• Real estate auctions
• Online bidding platform
• Estate liquidations
• Equipment auctions

Headquarters

HQ city

Toney

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Buyer's Premiums: Commission charged to buyers on auction purchases. Real estate auctions typically carry a 10% buyer's premium on the highest bid price. Personal property auctions may have different premium structures.
2. Seller Commission: Fees charged to sellers for conducting auctions of their property, including marketing, cataloging, and auction execution services
3. Real Estate Deposits: Collection of earnest money deposits (typically 10-20% of purchase price) from winning bidders, held in escrow until closing

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Fowler Auction & Real Estate Service conducts live and online auctions to liquidate real estate (residential, commercial, land, foreclosure) and personal property (equipment, vehicles, household furnishings, collectibles, firearms). The company operates across Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia using the MarkNet Alliance online bidding platform and certified auctioneers, charging buyer's premiums on winning bids and commissions to sellers.

Product overview

Fowler Auction & Real Estate Service is an auction company operating as a unified auction platform that conducts both LIVE and Online Auctions to liquidate real and personal property. The core offering combines real estate auctions (residential, commercial, land, foreclosure properties), equipment auctions (farm, construction, vehicles), personal property auctions (furniture, collectibles, firearms), and business liquidations. The company operates primarily through the MarkNet Alliance network for online bidding and also offers a variant called the Ultimate Choice Bidding Platform for certain auction events. Services span Alabama, Tennessee, and Georgia with over 48 years of industry experience.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Live Auctions

Quantifiable outcome

• Successful liquidation of real and personal property assets including starter homes to large estates, small farms to large agricultural operations, and heavy equipment

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MarkNet AlliancecoreTechnology or IntegrationMarkNet Alliance provides the auction software platform powering Fowler Auction's online bidding website (bids.fowlerauction.com), enabling listing management, real-time bidding, bidder registration, and payment processing across the network of affiliated auction companies

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Auction.com: Auction.com is the largest online real estate auction marketplace in the US, conducting residential, foreclosure/REO, and bank-owned property auctions across the same Southeast geographies Fowler serves. It is a direct competitor in online-only real estate auctions, particularly for foreclosure and bank-owned inventory.
• Williams & Williams Auctioneers: Williams & Williams is a long-established US real estate auction firm conducting live and online auctions of residential, commercial, and land properties. It is comparable to Fowler as a full-service real estate auction company with both live event and online bidding capabilities.
• Hubzu: Hubzu is an online real estate auction platform operated by Berkshire Hathaway Energy, focused on foreclosure, REO, and traditional home auctions. It competes directly with Fowler for online bidders in distressed and residential property auctions.
• Xome: Xome (formerly Auction.com's residential platform) operates online real estate auctions for foreclosure, REO, and traditional listings nationally. It competes head-to-head with Fowler's online real estate auctions, particularly for bank-owned and distressed assets.
• Tranzon: Tranzon is a national real estate auction network conducting commercial, residential, land, and foreclosure auctions across the US. Comparable to Fowler in full-service real estate auction offerings, with a broader multi-state franchise model.
• J.P. King Auction Company: J.P. King is a US auction firm specializing in luxury and lifestyle real estate, land, and farm auctions. It is a direct peer in live and online real estate auctions, particularly for high-value residential, estate, and land properties.

Emerging players

• Concierge Auctions: Concierge Auctions is a luxury real estate auction marketplace focused on high-end residential properties marketed to a global bidder pool. It overlaps with Fowler's higher-end residential and estate auction segment, though positioned up-market.
• Heritage Auctions: Heritage Auctions is one of the largest US auction houses, with both online and live auctions of personal property, collectibles, firearms, and equipment. It overlaps with Fowler's personal property and equipment auction offerings, with greater scale and national bidder reach.

Others

• MarkNet Alliance: MarkNet Alliance is the technology and bidder network provider that powers Fowler's online auction platform. It is an enabling partner rather than a competitor, but its scale and breadth of affiliated auctioneers shape the competitive context in which Fowler operates.

Regional players

• Kaufman Realty & Auctions of Alabama: Kaufman Realty & Auctions is a Southeast-based real estate and auction firm operating primarily in Alabama and adjacent states. It is a close regional peer to Fowler, offering residential, land, equipment, and personal property auctions in overlapping geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/fowlerauctions
• Xx.com/fowler_auction

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fowler Auction & Real Estate Service