SDL Property Auctions is experiencing an influx of enquiries from sellers of houses in the £250,000-£500,000 price bracket, as they realise auction is the most realistic way of beating the stamp duty holiday deadline. 

 

The National Property Auction on Thursday 29th April will see buyers benefiting from the saving, as their transactions will complete well ahead of the stamp duty holiday deadline on 30th June. 

 Managing director and auctioneer Andrew Parker says sellers benefit, too: “As purchases in this auction will complete by the end of May, sellers can bid confidently and stretch their budgets a little further. Sellers reap the benefits of this flexibility and because contracts are exchanged on the fall of the hammer they have no need to worry about their buyer pulling out or trying to haggle later.”

 SDL Property Auctions has seen a huge increase in interest in auctions over the past 12 months and in the first quarter of 2021 raised more than £71 million for sellers. Its National Property Auctions, live-streamed from its head office auction studio, regularly feature 200+ lots and attract thousands of registered bidders. 

Among the family homes going under the hammer in this month’s National Property Auction is a semi-detached house in Birmingham with a *guide price of £275,000+. 217 Balden Road in Harborne requires improvement but offers great potential, with three bedrooms, two reception rooms, a large garden and planning permission in place for a two-storey side and rear extension, as well as permitted development approval for a loft conversion and a large outbuilding. It is within easy reach of Queen Elizabeth Medical Centre and Birmingham University with good local amenities and transport links.

In Derbyshire, 183 Church Street in Ilkeston (pictured) is a four double bedroomed detached home with the potential to be converted into flats or a House in Multiple Occupation, subject to the necessary planning permissions. It has a guide price of £230,000+.

Being sold in partnership with Nest Estate Agents, 151 Trevino Drive in Rushey Mead, Leicester, has a *guide price of £200,000+ but has already attracted a great deal of interest so auctioneers will be watching its bidding progress closely. Although requiring some modernisation, the three bedroomed property has been well maintained, features solar panels and is ideally placed for local amenities and transport links. It sits on a good-sized plot with potential for an extension, subject to planning permission.

This month sees the launch of a new-style online catalogue for SDL Property Auctions where viewers can now scroll through the lots easily without having to zoom in and out on each page. As before, the catalogue features useful information, articles and adverts from relevant businesses but crucially is now 100% interactive and clickable so readers can get straight to the information they need.

The catalogue also features an introductory video in which Andrew answers some frequently asked questions about auctions.

He said: “The auctions market is changing so it is important that we respond to those changes, which is why we have launched a new, user-friendly and interactive catalogue experience.”

“We are proud to be leading the way in this area. As we welcome a great many first-time auction buyers and sellers, we are committed to making their experience a positive one. Auctions are no longer the domain of landlords and investors jostling together in a crowded auction room, so we have created a much more contemporary experience and we pride ourselves on having made it accessible to everyone.”

Bids can be placed in the live-streamed auction on Thursday 29th April online, on the phone and by proxy.

Andrew said: “We may live in an age of technology but equally we recognise that some people require that personal interaction of speaking to one of our team on the phone, so by offering all three bidding methods, we ensure nobody is excluded.”

SDL Property Auctions is offering several opportunities to beat the stamp duty holiday deadline; there is still time to sell in the National Property Auction on Thursday 27th May, as well as in a Timed Auction, which can be started at any time.