Gratz Real Estate and Auctioneering dedicates
76 years of service to the Jefferson City community.

The art of auctioneering has been around for centuries, and although the practice seems to have dwindled with the invention of online selling services, there is one Mid-Missouri family that is keeping auctioneering alive and well. Gratz Real Estate & Auctioneering began as Prenger and Gratz Auctioneers and was founded by Robert (Bob) Gratz and Lawrence Prenger in 1948 as an auctioneering business only. By the 1960s, Bob and Lawrence went their separate ways, and Bob changed the name to Gratz Auction Services.  

Then, in 1972, Gratz Auction Services became a family business as Bob’s son Bill Gratz joined the team after gaining some experience in real estate and graduating from Reisch Auction College in Mason City, Iowa. In 1978, Bill expanded the business to Gratz Real Estate & Auctioneering, offering real estate and auctioneering services across 14 counties statewide. A few years later, Nancy Gratz, Bill’s wife, joined the real estate side of the business as a broker after retiring from banking and real estate. Kristi Harper and Kim Sandbothe, Bill and Nancy’s daughters, worked as cashiers and clerks for the business during their high school and college years. Craig Gratz, Bill and Nancy’s son, joined the business in 1992 after graduating from Kansas City Auction School and simultaneously starting a career as an electrician. While Craig works as an electrician at MidStates Energy during the week, he works as an auctioneer on the weekends. 

And it didn’t take long for Craig’s son, Logan Gratz, to follow in the family’s footsteps. Logan is the fourth generation to join Gratz Real Estate & Auctioneering. At only 12 years old, Logan remembers feeling nervous as he stared into a crowd of bidders. It was the first time he auctioned off an item with his grandpa for a benefit in Jefferson City. Despite his nerves, Logan sold the item for double what any other item sold for at the auction that day.  

“I don’t know if it is just in our genes, but it just felt so natural and exciting,” Logan says.  

After high school, Logan got his real estate and auctioneer licenses in 2014. He then received a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lincoln University in 2018. Just like his grandpa, Logan loves working with both sides of the family business.  

“We are very active day to day in auctioneering and real estate,
but a big part of our business is giving back and being involved,”

Logan Gratz

At Gratz Real Estate & Auctioneering, the real estate side seeks to represent homebuyers, renters, and land buyers while maintaining some of the highest market share percentages within the available market. In 2023, the business had nearly $40 million dollars in sales volume with the largest property selling for over $4 million. The auctioneering side helps patrons sell a wide range of items, from household goods to big collections; and in 2022, they even helped the Missouri State Capitol Commission auction off salvaged stone from the Capitol’s restoration for preservation efforts. The Gratz family can also make both sides of the business work together. In cases when someone passes away or when a family is downsizing, Gratz Real Estate & Auctioneering can help sell items from the home as well as the property itself.  

“We are proud to be a small business that works with the community,” Logan says. “We are not tied to corporate America or big franchises; we are a local business. We are here in our community, support our community, and appreciate our community investing in us.”  

The family business has been well established in Jefferson City for the last 76 years, but Gratz Real Estate & Auctioneering and the Gratz family are best known by residents for their generosity and caring nature. Supporting their community is something the Gratz family is deeply passionate about. To help give back, they have contributed to more than 50 community organizations in addition to volunteering their time to help host numerous benefit auctions for a variety of causes each year.  

“We are very active day to day in auctioneering and real estate, but a big part of our business is giving back and being involved,” Logan says.  

Logan and Bill can often be heard at local events chanting, “for two-two-$200, now three, $300, $350, and now four, $400” until every item is sold to the highest bidder. The hours they have dedicated over the years have no doubt been essential in helping local charities reach their goals. And Gratz Real Estate & Auctioneering has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. They hope to continue steadily growing the real estate side of the business through marketing and will, of course, offer their auctioneering services alongside.

“No matter the circumstance or client, we are always working to provide the best service possible,” Logan says. “Helping those in our community achieve their goals, that’s what the real reward is to us.”