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Selling at Auction

Need to sell quickly

Want to settle an estate and require transparency

Want the security of a certain sale

Want assurance that you’ll get the best price

Speed

There is no faster way to sell your residential property, mixed use, commercial property or land. The whole process from instruction to completion can take as little as eight weeks.

Success

Auction gives you a better chance of selling your property than by estate agent alone. In recent years, Hair and son has sold on average 85%-90% of all lots offered, which gives you a much greater chance of a sale.

Legal and Binding

Once the hammer has fallen, you have exchanged contracts with your buyer and they are legally committed to the purchase. On average, one third of sales through estate agents fall through after they have been agreed, so selling by auction is a far more secure way to sell.

Marketing

We have developed a targeted database of local, regional and national buyers, so your property can be proactively sent out to these people. Your property will also be featured in online property portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla, our high quality catalogues which are mailed to prospective buyers, sent via email to our database of contacts, as well as shared with thousands of interested people via our website and on social media.

Block Viewings

To help develop the potential for competitive bidding, we organise Block Viewings. These are short time slots which allow any prospective buyers to come and look around the property, guided by a member of the auctions team who is on hand to answer any questions they may have, as well as being able to assess their interest. By doing this, the team can help to guide you in setting the right reserve price.

Competitive Bidding

The aim of an auction is to generate interest from two or more prospective buyers, which will lead them to bid against each other in the auction room, and will help your property to achieve the best price on the day. Sometimes those buyers are so keen to acquire the property that they put in a pre-auction offer, and if this figure is higher than we would expect to reach in the auction room, we may recommend accepting the offer under standard auction rules, with contracts needing to be exchanged prior to the auction day.

Best Price

Properties for sale at auction will often achieve a final sale price in excess of the original guide price set, and regularly the result is in the region of what might have been acceptable for sale through an estate agent (Private Treaty sale). What you can guarantee is that it has achieved the best price on the day. This is a key point for properties coming to auction via probate, as the executors of the estate have a duty to achieve the best price possible.

Set Price

With private treaty sales through an estate agent, the offer price agreed is not necessarily the price you will finally receive, with discounting due to any survey findings or last minute gazundering. With auction, there is no room for negotiation after the hammer falls; it is the buyers’ responsibility to fully research the property before bidding.

Timescale

If you are looking to sell your home or property quickly, then auction is probably the best option for you. From the time you instruct the auctions team to list your property, you will know the date that is will be up for auction, and legal completion is usually set for 28 days afterwards. This is a fixed timescale and is legally binding for both parties. This means auction is the best option for anyone with time constraints, such as those relocating, under financial pressure, or wanting to dispose of an investment property.

Continued Income

If you are looking to sell an investment property, there is no need to sell with vacant possession, as we have a large number of buy to let investors looking to buy. By retaining your tenant, you will continue to receive rent until the completion date, and the purchaser will receive income from that date onwards. Hair and son sells a variety of occupied properties with tenancy agreements in place, including assured shorthold tenancy (ASTs), regulated tenancy, assured tenancy and commercial lettings.

Buying at Auction

Search

Register for our Property Alerts to be kept up to date by email with all the latest lots that match your requirements.

Contact our Auction Team to receive information about upcoming auctions, auction catalogues and late entries.

Details

When you have found a property you are interested in, look at the particulars on our website which will contain details about the lot including photos and guide prices.

You may also wish to look through the catalogue which is available on our website normally two weeks before an auction date.

Block Viewings

Make sure to attend one of the block viewings and ask any questions you may have to one of the team. If possible, visit the property again at another viewing if you are interested, and also take someone with you to help you make a better judgement before deciding to bid.

Survey

As a property at auction may not be in the best condition, it is important to consider having a survey or inspection before you choose to bid.

Make sure you have received any reports before the auction so you can make an informed decision before bidding begins.

Legal

Appoint solicitors as early in the process as possible. They will need to inspect the legal packs for any properties you are interested in, and check other information such as searches and planning permission, which are all available online.

Their advice at this stage could prove invaluable as you cannot change your mind after the hammer falls and you have exchanged contracts.

Finance

On the day of the auction, you will need 10% of the purchase price (subject to a minimum amount), any buyers premium, as well as the auctioneers administration charge. These figures can be found in the catalogue.

The remainder of the purchase price and fees will be needed for completion (usually within 28 days of the auction).

It is important to also speak with your insurers, as after exchange, you will be responsible for the insurance of the property.

Auction Day

Make sure you check the addendums list which will list any lots that have been withdrawn or sold prior, postponed until a later auction date, or any last-minute changes to the catalogue entries.

Arrive early. The auction room can be very busy with limited space, and if you wish to bid, you should make sure you are in clear view of the Auctioneer’s rostrum.

Pre-register to bid. Once registered you will receive a bidding number which we will ask you for if you are successful. If you have any questions, make sure to ask one of the Auction team before the start of the auction.

Ensure you make it clear when you wish to bid on a lot, either by raising your hand or holding up a catalogue.

Afterwards

When the hammer falls, you have exchanged contracts and have entered a legally binding sale.

If you are the winning bidder, you will need to complete the Memorandum of Sale and pay your deposit and fees.

You will need to have two forms of ID with you; one photographic (e.g. driving licence or passport), and one proof of address (e.g. utility bill dated in the last three months). If multiple people are to be named on the memorandum, you will need ID for all parties.

If a property fails to reach its reserve and it is not sold in the room, you can speak with a member of the Auction team to express an interest. It may be possible to negotiate a sale after the auction, which would proceed under normal auction rules.