Thinking about selling at auction? We are now undertaking property valuations for entries into the first round of auctions taking place in the brand new year, so why not send us a few details about your property, and one of our auctioneers in your area, will talk give you a ring, to chat further.

Selling a property by auction is easier than many people think, and the prices that we achieve are usually higher than expected too. Our auction partners have sold more than 2,500 properties throughout the UK, this year, that's more than any other auctioneer since, well since auctions started! Next

Property finance lender, Auction Finance Limited, is experiencing significant growth in lending, surpassing pre-credit crunch levels, as auction property purchases boom, (as reported this week by Auction House UK).

The award winning Manchester-based company has more than doubled the number of loans it has financed over the past 12 months and has increased the value of its average loan by 22.3%.

The announcement comes as the latest figures show a seven year high for UK’s auction houses, with lots sold in October 2013 up  30& compared to October 2012, the highest ever recorded level for that

A strong end to CPBigwood’s auction year saw business well ahead of 2012.

The December event held at Aston Villa football ground totaled £7,580,700 of property sold, with an 84 per cent success rate and 100 per cent in the case of local authority lots.

It means the cumulative figure for 2013 came in at £51,082,200, with 604 lots offered and an aggregate success rate of 76.6 per cent.

The 2012 comparison was just under £47 million on 570 lots.

Jonathan Hackett, partner and head of auctions at CPBigwood, said: “More people are choosing the auction route – the size of our auctions and the numbers

Auction House Birmingham were delighted to sell Auction House's 2,500 property in their December auction. In a packed room, of over 300 people, the lot was a two bedroom dilapidated bungalow, fierce bidding in the room saw it sail past the guide of £120,000 to be sold at £180,000. They ended the year selling 16 out of 18 and kept their year sales at a massive 93% conversion.

In addition, we're pleased to report that Auction House Cumbria held its largest ever auction with a record 71 lots offered in the final sale of 2013, with more than 700 people attending. Over £3m (£3,060,100) was raised

Households' perception of the value of their home has risen to a five-year high, an index has shown.

The Markit House Price Sentiment Index rose to 59.4 during December, and any value over 50 indicates prices are rising.

The index found people in London, the east of England and the South West were most positive about the price rises. Those in the South East anticipated the biggest rise in house prices over the next year. Expectations about future prices also rose to near pre-recession highs.

Estate agent Knight Frank carried out the research, with Markit Economics. It marks the ninth

The sixth and final Acuitus auction of the year raised £16.6m and concluded a successful year during which the firm has sold in excess of £180,000,000 of assets. Reflecting on sales volumes that were 15% up on 2012, Acuitus auctioneer, Richard Auterac, commented: "This has been a year which has seen more momentum in the commercial property auction sector. "Investors have an eye on the brightening economic outlook while the distressed property situations which date from the pre-crash boom are now being gradually addressed. This is bringing more stock into the auction room and creating a

We are reaching the final couple of days of auctions throughout the UK, with a handful taking place on Monday and Tuesday of next week.  All unsold lots from the past month's auctions are displayed in our database for you to peruse, and if anything takes your fancy, give the auctioneer a ring to find out more, and to find out what the reserve price is.

Property auctions for 2014 will commence from middle/late January, to give the auction houses sufficient time to process all the new lots that will be entered into their first auctions of the new year.  We will of course, start uploading them

Artist Damien Hirst plans to build 750 homes on land he owns in north Devon. The outline application for Ilfracombe also includes plans for a primary school, shops, business units and a health centre.

The artist's desire for homes "he would like to live in" has been the focus of public exhibitions and workshops for more than a year. A decision on the outline application for the Southern Extension is not expected until May or June.

Winsham Farm - bought by Hirst about 10 years ago - is near the centre of the proposed 187-acre housing development, although four other landowners are involved.

The

The Land Registry has now made available all of its historic price paid data.

Covering over 18m sales in England and Wales going back almost 18 years, it is free to download.   The data, which is used to calculate the Land Registry’s monthly house price index, includes records of sales at full market value lodged for registration since January 1995.

The records include the full address of the property, the price paid, the date of the sale, the property type, whether it is a new build or not, and whether it is freehold or leasehold.

The data shows that the cheapest property ranged from £5,200

Following on from yesterday's top tips from This Is Money, here are the remaining five pieces of essential advice for property investors:

6. Don't be over ambitious - go for rental yield and remember costs

We have all read the stories about buy-to-let millionaires and their huge portfolios. But the days of double-digit house price rises are gone, so experts say invest for income not short-term capital growth.

To compare different property's values use their yield: that is annual rent received as a percentage of the purchase price. For example, a property delivering £10,000 worth of rent that