Bonnigson & Associates

What Bonnigson & Associates does

Bonnigson & Associates is a privately held, full-service real estate brokerage and auction house headquartered in Clyde, Ohio, operating continuously since 1977 across Northwest Ohio. The firm serves families, farmers, investors, contractors, and estates across approximately eight counties (Sandusky, Ottawa, Erie, Seneca, Wood, Huron, Lucas, and surrounding areas), handling residential, commercial, farmland, and vacant-land real estate transactions alongside personal property, farm equipment, and antiques/collectibles auctions. A distinguishing structural feature is the combined real estate and auction offering, which allows a single team to coordinate estate liquidations that include both real property and personal property under one point of contact.

The company's core technology consists of a hybrid live and online auction infrastructure built on auctioneersoftware.com, with auction inventory distributed through third-party platforms AuctionZip, HiBid, and EquipmentFacts to extend bidder reach. The online bidding platform supports real-time live audio streaming, soft-close/auto-extend bidding logic, and outbid notifications. Real estate listings are marketed through MLS and professional photography, with the brokerage operating from a dedicated Bonnigson Real Estate subdomain (bonnigsonre.com) that is distinct from the auction brand. The firm is a licensed Ohio real estate brokerage and a member of the National Association of Realtors and the Ohio Auctioneers Association.

Revenue is generated entirely on a transaction-fee basis: buyer's premiums of 15% on general personal property auctions, tiered 5%/10% premiums on consignment equipment auctions based on a $2,500 threshold, undisclosed commission rates on real estate sales, $10 firearm processing fees, and professional fees for property appraisals and estate coordination services. The firm has no external funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no M&A history. Pricing is per-transaction with no subscription or recurring-revenue component, and the customer base is highly distributed across SMB and mid-market individual clients with no named anchor accounts.

Name

Bonnigson & Associates

Legal name

Bonnigson & Associates

Website

https://bonnigson.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bonnigson & Associates is a privately held Clyde, Ohio-based real estate brokerage and auction house operating since 1977, serving families, farmers, estates, and investors across Northwest Ohio with residential and farmland sales, equipment and personal property auctions, and coordinated estate liquidation services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Real Estate Brokerage and Auction Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (5312), Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers (42382)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)

akta.pro primary industry

Land & Farm/Ranch Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Real Estate Auctions (BPAJAEAA), Bankruptcy, Probate & Estate Property Auctions (BPAJAEAG), Land & Development Site Brokerage (BPAJABAG)

Keywords

• Real estate brokerage
• Auction services
• Estate liquidation
• Farm equipment auctions
• Residential property sales

Headquarters

HQ city

Clyde

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. Auction Commissions: Commission-based revenue from personal property, farm equipment, estate liquidations, and antiques/collectibles auctions. Commission structure and marketing fees are outlined in auction agreements before services begin.
2. Real Estate Sales Commissions: Full-service real estate brokerage handling residential, commercial, farmland, and land sales. Agents provide listing services including pricing strategy, professional photography, MLS listing, open houses, negotiation, and closing coordination.
3. Buyer's Premium: A buyer's premium is added to each purchase at auction. For general auctions, 15% buyer's premium applies. For consignment equipment auctions, 5% for items $2500 and over, 10% for items under $2500.
4. Property Appraisals: Property appraisal services as part of estate and real estate services.
5. Estate Services: Coordinated estate liquidation services combining real estate sales through brokerage with personal property auction, providing one team and one point of contact.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Bonnigson & Associates is a full-service real estate brokerage and auction house operating in Clyde, Ohio since 1977. It conducts live on-site and online auctions for personal property, farm equipment, estate liquidations, antiques, and collectibles, and provides licensed brokerage representation for residential, commercial, farmland, and land sales across Northwest Ohio. A core offering is the ability to coordinate real estate sales together with personal property auctions under one team for estate transitions.

Product overview

Bonnigson & Associates operates as a dual-service platform combining a licensed real estate brokerage (Bonnigson Real Estate) with a full-service auction house (Bonnigson Auctions). The company serves Northwest Ohio with both live on-site auctions and an online bidding platform, enabling remote bidder participation. Services include residential, commercial, and farmland real estate sales alongside personal property auctions, farm equipment auctions, estate liquidations, and antiques/collectibles sales. A distinguishing feature is their ability to coordinate both real estate and auction services for estates under one team.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bonnigson Auctions Full-service auction house running live on-site and online auctions for personal property, farm equipment, estate liquidations, antiques, and collectibles in Northwest Ohio. Includes inventory and lotting, marketing campaigns, listings on AuctionZip/HiBid/EquipmentFacts, day-of-sale clerking, payment collection, and buyer pickup coordination. Buyer's premium is 15% on general personal property auctions.
• Bonnigson Real Estate Licensed Ohio real estate brokerage handling residential homes, rural properties, farmland, vacant lots, commercial buildings, and investment properties in Northwest Ohio. Services include pricing strategy, professional photography, MLS listing, open houses and showings, negotiation, and closing coordination. Represents both buyers and sellers.
• Estate Services Coordinated service combining real property sales through the brokerage with personal property and equipment sales through auction, managed by a single team for families settling estates or transitioning households.
• Online Bidding Platform Web-based bidding platform enabling remote participation in Bonnigson auctions, with live streaming of the on-site auctioneer, real-time outbid notifications, and soft-close/auto-extend functionality that prevents sniping on individual lots.
• Property Appraisals Professional property valuation services for estates, farms, and real estate listings, supporting both sellers preparing to list and executors settling estates.
• Downsizing and Transition Services Assistance for individuals and families transitioning living situations, including coordination of estate liquidation, real estate sale, and personal property disposition activities under one team.

Quantifiable outcome

• Homes in Sandusky County typically go under contract within 30 to 60 days when priced correctly and marketed well

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AuctionZipcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline auction platform used by Bonnigson & Associates for listing and conducting online auctions. Bidders register through auction landing pages on the platform.
• HiBidcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline auction platform integrated with Bonnigson auctions, enabling real-time online bidding alongside live auctioneers.
• EquipmentFactscoreTechnology or IntegrationEquipment-focused auction platform used for farm equipment, heavy equipment, and machinery auctions.
• National Association of Realtors (NAR)coreOthersProfessional organization membership. All agents hold active Ohio real estate licenses and are committed to the NAR Code of Ethics.
• Ohio Auctioneers Association (OAA)coreOthersState professional organization for auctioneers. Bonnigson & Associates maintains membership as a licensed auction house.

Scale indicators3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• HiBid (Auction Flex): Online auction platform provider used by Bonnigson and thousands of auctioneers. Adjacent infrastructure provider rather than a direct competitor, but shapes the competitive set for online auction capability.
• EquipmentFacts (by Sandhills Global): Online marketplace and auction platform specifically for heavy equipment, farm machinery, and trucks. Functions as both a peer platform and a key distribution partner for Bonnigson's equipment auctions.
• AuctionZip: Online auction directory and bidding platform used by Bonnigson for broader bidder reach. Functions as a distribution channel and competing marketplace for local auctioneers.

Broad incumbents

• United Country Real Estate: National franchise network specializing in country, rural, farmland, and estate real estate. Competes with Bonnigson on rural brokerage but with a much broader nationwide footprint and affiliated auction services.
• Heritage Auctions: National auction house covering collectibles, antiques, and specialty items. Overlaps with Bonnigson's antiques/collectibles auction line but operates at a much larger scale and broader geographic reach.

Direct peers

• Whitcomb Properties & Auction: Regional real estate and auction firm in Ohio/Michigan offering live and online auctions plus brokerage for residential, farmland, and estate properties. Closely comparable in service mix and Midwestern client base.
• Sullivan Auctioneers: Regional auction house conducting live and online farm equipment, real estate, and estate auctions in the Midwest. Directly overlaps with Bonnigson's farmer/estate customer base and auction workflow.
• Schrader Real Estate & Auction Co. Direct competitor in farmland, farm equipment, and real estate auctions across the Midwest. Operates a hybrid live/online auction model and a licensed real estate brokerage, closely mirroring Bonnigson's combined service offering.
• Steffes Group: Midwest-based auction firm running live and online auctions for farm equipment, land, and heavy machinery. Comparable in customer base (farmers, contractors, estates) and auction-driven revenue model, though larger in scale.

Regional players

• Haller Auction & Realty: Ohio-based auction and real estate firm running live and online auctions for farmland, equipment, and personal property. Directly comparable business model and regional scope to Bonnigson.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/BonnigsonA
• Facebookfacebook.com/Bonnigson

Compliance3 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 Bonnigson & Associates