Vette City Real Estate & Auction Co.

What Vette City Real Estate & Auction Co. does

Vette City Real Estate & Auction Co. LLC is a privately held, founder-owned full-service real estate brokerage and auction firm headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky, operating continuously since Lloyd Ferguson obtained his auctioneer's and real estate licenses in 1973. The firm serves individual buyers and sellers, estate families, commercial property owners, and land/farm owners across Bowling Green and the surrounding Kentucky region. It offers an integrated suite of services including residential, land, commercial, estate, and personal property auctions, MLS listings, buyer's and seller's exclusive agent representation, comparative market analysis, downsizing services, and market planning.

The firm's core technology is the BidWrangler-powered mobile bidding application, available on iOS and Android, paired with a website-based online auction platform that enables remote participation from anywhere in the United States. These platforms support both live on-site auctions and online bidding, and integrate with multiple payment processors (PayPal, Clover, Auction Payment Network, Wells Fargo) under PCI-DSS compliant handling. The firm maintains memberships in the Multiple Listing Service, National Auctioneers Association, Kentucky Auctioneers Association, and REALTORS Association of Southern Kentucky, and operates a broker referral program for partner-driven lead flow.

Revenue is generated entirely through transactional fees: commissions on traditional real estate sales, buyer's premiums added to auction hammer prices (rates disclosed sale-by-sale), and standard MLS-based listing transactions. The team is small (7+ professionals, multi-generational family plus credentialed specialists including a CAI-designated Kentucky Auctioneer of the Year) and concentrated in a single Bowling Green office. Distribution combines direct sales (on-site auctions, in-person brokerage), inside sales (phone/email inquiries), self-serve channels (mobile app and website bidding), and channel partners (MLS, broker referrals). Marketing relies on organic social (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter/X) and remarketing via Google Ads and Facebook.

Name

Vette City Real Estate & Auction Co.

Legal name

Vette City Real Estate & Auction Co. LLC

Website

https://vettecityrealestateandauction.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Vette City Real Estate & Auction Co. is a privately held, founder-owned real estate brokerage and auction firm in Bowling Green, Kentucky, serving individual buyers and sellers, estate families, and commercial and land owners since 1973. It combines traditional brokerage with live and online auctions powered by a BidWrangler mobile bidding app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Brokerage & Auction Services

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Land & Farm/Ranch Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAD), Real Estate Auction Services (FSAEAJAL)

Keywords

• Real estate brokerage
• Auction services
• Estate liquidation
• Property auctions
• Residential real estate

Headquarters

HQ city

Bowling Green

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Real Estate Commissions: Traditional real estate broker services including residential, land, and commercial property sales. Revenue generated through commission on completed transactions.
2. Auction Services: Auctioneer services for estate liquidations, personal property, and real estate auctions. Revenue includes buyer's premium added to final bid amounts.
3. MLS Listing Services: Multiple Listing Service participation providing listing services to sellers seeking traditional real estate transactions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Vette City Real Estate & Auction Co. is a full-service real estate and auction firm providing residential, land, commercial, estate, and personal property sales through both traditional brokerage (MLS listings, buyer/seller exclusive agent representation, comparative market analysis) and live/online auctions. The firm supports remote bidding through the BidWrangler-powered mobile app and an online auction platform and serves individual property owners, families, buyers, and sellers in Bowling Green, Kentucky and the surrounding region.

Product overview

Vette City Real Estate & Auction Co. is a full-service real estate and auction company that operates as a unified offering combining traditional real estate services with auction-based property sales. The core product portfolio consists of two main bidding channels—the Mobile Bidding App (powered by BidWrangler for iOS and Android) and the Online Auction Platform (website-based)—which enable buyers to participate in auctions remotely. These bidding platforms support a range of auction services including residential, land, commercial, estate, and personal property auctions. Complementing the auction business is a suite of traditional real estate services including Buyer's Exclusive Agent, Seller's Exclusive Agent, M.L.S. Listing Services, Comparative Market Analysis, Estate Services, Downsizing Services, and Market Plans and Budgets. The company has been licensed since the early 1970s and serves the Bowling Green, Kentucky region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BidWranglercoreTechnology or IntegrationMobile bidding technology provider powering the company's online auction platform and smartphone applications for both Apple and Android devices.
• Multiple Listing Service (MLS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe company is a member of the MLS, enabling them to list properties on the multiple listing service for traditional real estate sales.
• National Auctioneers AssociationminorOthersProfessional association membership demonstrating commitment to professionalism and ethical standards in the auction industry.
• Kentucky Auctioneers AssociationminorOthersState-level auctioneer association membership with Lloyd Ferguson serving on the Board of Directors.
• REALTORS Association of Southern KentuckyminorOthersLocal REALTOR association with team member Charlene Rabold having served as President in 2015 and currently serving on Political Affairs Committee.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tranzon Asset Advisors: Network of regional real estate auction firms offering accelerated sale services for residential, commercial, and land assets. Closely comparable to Vette City's model of combining regional real estate brokerage with auction services for diverse property types.
• J.P. King Auction Company: Real estate auction firm specializing in large-acreage, residential, and commercial property auctions across the Southeast and beyond. Highly comparable to Vette City given similar regional focus, real estate auction specialization, and dual live/online bidding capabilities.
• Concierge Auctions: Luxury real estate auction house that combines traditional real estate expertise with accelerated auction-based sales for high-end properties. Comparable to Vette City because both run real-estate-focused auctions alongside conventional sales support and leverage online bidding to expand buyer reach nationally.
• Rick Levin & Associates: Real estate auction firm specializing in luxury residential, estate, and unique property auctions across multiple US regions. Similar to Vette City in offering both traditional real estate services and auction formats with mobile/online bidding to extend buyer reach.
• Schrader Real Estate & Auction Company: Long-established real estate and auction firm operating across the Midwest and Mid-South, with combined brokerage and auction capabilities for farmland, residential, and commercial property. Comparable to Vette City given similar regional footprint, full-service model, and emphasis on live-plus-online auctions.

Broad incumbents

• Auction.com: Online real estate auction marketplace owned by Costar facilitating sales of bank-owned, foreclosure, and residential properties nationwide. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the real estate auction category, but at much greater scale and geographic reach than Vette City.
• Williams & Williams / Xome: National real estate auction platform (originally Williams & Williams) operating online auctions for residential, foreclosure, and REO properties at scale. A broader incumbent with overlapping real estate auction services, but operating nationwide rather than regionally like Vette City.
• Keller Williams Realty: Large national real estate franchise with Kentucky regional offices providing traditional residential brokerage services. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping traditional real estate services in the same geographic footprint.
• RE/MAX: Global real estate franchise network with local brokerages operating across Kentucky and the broader US. Comparable as a broad incumbent providing traditional brokerage services in the same local market as Vette City, though without the same auction specialization.
• Coldwell Banker: National real estate brokerage franchise with regional Kentucky presence offering traditional residential and commercial brokerage. Operates as a broad incumbent in the same local Bowling Green market with overlapping traditional real estate services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VCAuction
• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=AuPHJ5439bs
• Facebookfacebook.com/Vettecityrealestateandauction
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/lloyd-ferguson-334506b8
• Instagraminstagram.com/vettecityrealestateandauction/?hl=en

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Vette City Real Estate & Auction Co.