This week, PIT takes a look at the continued success of SDL Property Auctions, and more great opportunities for buyers and investors at Strettons and Bond Wolfe Auctions.
Will auctions begin to wind down to coincide with the end of the stamp duty holiday, or are things just heating up?
SDL Property Auctions ‘dominates’ August auction scene
SDL Property Auctions says it is dominating the property auction market this summer after its latest sale.
August was anything but quiet for the company, which held the month’s biggest auction in the UK for the second year running.
Managing director and auctioneer Andrew Parker comments: “We are thrilled to be responsible for one in four of the nation’s auction properties this month and feel this big market share is a strong sign of the trust people place in SDL Property Auctions to sell their properties quickly, with no hassle and at the best price.”
Among its many successes in the August National Property Auction was the sale of 2 Grasdene Grove in Birmingham, a semi-detached house on a corner plot that had been previously offered for sale by another auction house. SDL Property Auctions sold it for £270,000 from a guide price of £165,000-plus.
Parker explains: “Of course not every lot sells in an auction and this property’s success this month could simply be a matter of timing, but we like to think we reach a wider pool of buyers as the UK’s most successful live-streamed auctioneer. We are delighted to achieve such a great result for the seller.”
Another impressive result was achieved in the National Property Auction for the seller of a chalet-style bungalow in Nottingham. 23 Cleve Avenue in Toton has two reception rooms, two double bedrooms and far-reaching views over the neighbourhood. It sold for £258,000, almost double its guide price of £135,000-plus.
In Lancashire, a well-presented semi-detached house was offered for sale in partnership with Entwistle Green. With gardens front and rear, an open-plan living and dining area and three bedrooms, 113 Rhodes Avenue in Blackburn sold for £139,000 from a guide price of £127,000-plus.
The National Property Auction was held towards the end of a busy month for SDL Property Auctions, which has held Timed Auctions and Buy it Now sales every day, featuring everything from garages to commercial properties, country cottages and city apartments.
A second-floor apartment in London was among the Timed Auction lots, sold with sitting tenants in partnership with Bairstow Eves. 11 Priory Court in Romford has an open-plan living area, fitted kitchen, double bedroom and balcony. From a guide price of £170,000-plus, it sold for £183,000.
Among the Buy It Now sales was a mixed-use property in Lincolnshire which sold for a fixed price of £150,000 in partnership with John Taylors. Wold Antiques, 35 Queen Street in Market Rasen is a three-storey property featuring a ground-floor retail unit and a two-storey apartment with four bedrooms above.
Parker adds: “Our Buy It Now sales are an increasingly popular way of selling properties, with all the benefits of auction’s speed and certainty while being perfect for sellers seeking a straightforward sale with the peace of mind provided by a fixed price.”
“By offering all auction methods, we are able to serve a wider range of sellers and are always happy to advise them so they can choose the most suitable method for their property and timetable.”
Strettons releases September auction catalogue
Strettons has published the catalogue for its upcoming national property auction taking place on September 14.
The sale marks the firm’s fifth of 2021 and features 56 properties from across the UK – from Morpeth in the north to Bournemouth in the south.
Scheduled to go under the hammer is a selection of vacant and tenanted commercial and residential properties, and land with and without planning permission. There is even a small stretch of land with mooring rights on the River Medway in Maidstone.
The highest price in the catalogue is £1.25 million for Lot 32, a freehold vacant 0.22-acre site in Northampton with planning permission for 60 residential units and two restaurants. This is closely followed by £1.1 million for a long leasehold, two-bedroom, top floor flat with planning permission in Kensington, SW7 (Lot 20).
In Southgate, N14, there is a rare opportunity to acquire a 7,258 sq ft site with development potential. A former advertising site sold on behalf of JC Decaux, the site is offered vacant and has a guide price of £800,000-plus.
In East London, Strettons will offer a portfolio of four properties with significant development potential in E10 and E11. One of the properties, on Lea Bridge Road, Leyton, is a freehold former stable block with residential development potential and is guided at £200,000-plus.
Commenting on the upcoming sale, Strettons director and auctioneer Andrew Brown, says: “Based on our previous sales this year, I think we are still witnessing a robust market with plenty of opportunities for savvy investors.”
“We continue to see strong demand for properties where value can be added, and our September sale features a wide range of such properties from across the UK.”
To date, Strettons has achieved £46 million through its auction sales in 2021, with an 89% success rate.
The September auction will take place at 12 noon on Tuesday September 14 2021 and will be live-streamed with remote bidding only. You can download the full catalogue here.
Lots abound at Bond Wolfe’s September sale
Bond Wolfe Auctions has released further information on the unique lots featured in its upcoming auction on September 9.
One such highlight is a newly-built detached house in Birmingham that requires a few completion works. The four-bedroomed home is located in a quiet cul-de-sac adjacent to 1 Reliant Close in Castle Bromwich, and comes with front and back gardens, with central heating and double-glazing throughout.
The property has a guide price of £150,000-plus, with works needed including all fixtures and fittings in the kitchen and bathrooms, plus connecting services.
There’s a reception room, kitchen and shower room with toilet downstairs, while upstairs is a master bedroom with en suite shower room and toilet, three further bedrooms and a family bathroom, all without fittings.
James Rossiter, auction valuer at Bond Wolfe, states: “This lot is an unusual one because it’s brand new, which makes it ideal for buyers looking for something fresh to put their own stamp on. This could suit a house hunter with good DIY skills or a small developer with experience of completing projects.”
House hunters and property investors will also be attracted to a wide range of homes across Nottinghamshire priced from £14,000 to £39,000.
Eight terraced houses in Worksop are among the lowest priced lots in the county, with the two and three-bedroomed homes all listed with a guide price of just £14,000-£19,000 because they are in need of modernisation.
Many of the homes, including three in Welbeck Street, are being sold as residential investments as they are currently occupied by tenants.
For sale as a potential family home, however, is the three-bedroom mid terraced house at 63 Duke Street, Worksop. It offers two reception rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom with WC on the ground floor along with three bedrooms upstairs. There is a garden to the front and a yard at the rear.
At 13 Alfred Street, in Sutton-in-Ashfield, a two-bedroom end terrace house has a guide price of £39,000-plus. With a garden to the rear, it has a reception room and dining kitchen on the ground floor, a bedroom and the bathroom on the first floor and an attic bedroom above. It has gas fired central heating and UPVC double glazing.
Gurpreet Bassi, chief executive of Bond Wolfe, comments: “These lots are great examples of the kind of value available in Nottinghamshire in terms of both residential properties and investment opportunities.”
“We’re expecting some competitive bidding from potential buyers at our auction, who often include a variety of house-hunters, developers and landlords looking to grow their portfolios.”
Meanwhile, a healthy mix of properties in Leicestershire is also set to go under the hammer, including a pair of Countesthorpe rented homes and a former licensed club in Stoney Stanton.
The former Compton Lodge, at 128 Sapcote Road, Stoney Stanton, is listed with a guide price of £275,000-plus.
A former three bedroom detached house, it was converted to a club premises in the late 1970s, extended and expanded with a concert room, bar, kitchen area, dressing room, beer cellar and WCs, with three rooms, a kitchen and a roof terrace in the flat above.
This spacious property could be used as licensed premises, converted back into a large home or redeveloped completely, subject to securing the necessary planning permission.
Also listed for sale as residential investment properties are a pair of two-bedroom houses in the village of Countesthorpe, just south of Leicester.
The end terraced property at 37 Waterloo Crescent is listed with a guide price of £95,000-plus and is currently rented out at £675 per month, earning a gross income of £8,100 per annum.
The two-bedroom semi-detached property at 40 Waterloo Crescent also has a guide price of £95,000-plus. The house is let subject to an assured shorthold tenancy at £495 per month, earning £5,940 per annum.
Bassi describes the lots as great examples of the wide range of properties and prices that can be found at Bond Wolfe’s auctions. “From investment properties and former commercial sites to family homes, there’s always plenty to choose from at our auctions,” he adds.
“We’re expecting some competitive bidding from potential buyers at our auction, who often include a variety of house-hunters, developers and landlords looking to grow their portfolios.”
These lots are just some of the 211 listed in Bond Wolfe’s next auction which starts at 9am on Thursday September 9.
The auction will be live-streamed via Bond Wolfe’s website with remote bidding by proxy, telephone or internet only, and bidders must pre-register no later than 12 noon on Wednesday September 8.