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When you’re selling your property, it’s of vital importance to know who you’re working with.
This is our independent Auction Estates Property Auctions review. Our private researchers analysed their company records, strengths and weaknesses.
In here, you’ll find everything you need to know about Auction Estates Property Auctions and whether you should trust them to sell your property quickly.
Your next step
Once you’ve read our impartial guides, you’re completely free to choose an auction house or a cash homebuyer and contact them yourself. There’s no obligation to use our introduction service. We’ll be happy to have helped you to find a company you can trust and stop you being taken for a ride. Our work here is done!
However, we understand that choosing a company to buy or sell your home is a big decision, so if you prefer, you can break it down into easier steps.
First, click the cash offer calculator button below to see how much cash buyers offer for properties like yours. It’s completely free to find out, and it only takes a couple of clicks. You don’t have to give any personal information, just an estimated value of your home.
Then, if this figure works for you, simply add a few more details of your home and we’ll connect you with the cash homebuyer we think is best suited to you.
If you’d rather take the auction route, click the ‘free auction appraisal’ button and we’ll put you in touch with the auction house that we think is the best fit for your property.
Our recommendations cost you nothing and they guarantee you the very best service. The PSW is well-respected within the industry and companies will go all out to prove that they’re worthy of our recommendations, so that we keep sending customers to them.
Click below to start your home selling journey.
Company
Established in
April 2016
Members of RICS
Yes
Members of Propertymark
Not stated
Trading standards approved?
Yes
Members of TPO
Yes
Registered with ICO
Yes
How often are auctions held
Every 2 months
Online auctions
No
Fees
1.5% + VAT (min £1,000 + VAT) Auction entry fee £350 + VAT
Complaints procedure
Yes
Customer service
4.5 / 5
Google rating
4 / 5 (20 reviews)
Auction Estates Property Auctions is a relatively new auction house set up by Paul Giles, a former head of regional auctions for Savills. They are based in Nottingham and handle a lot of local property in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the surrounding area. However, they also deal with residential and commercial property across the UK, from Dorset to Dumfries.
- PSW Rating
4.7 / 5
1. Auction Estates Property Auctions: Company Overview
(source: Companies House)
- Listed with Companies House: 25th April 2016
- Registered Office: Archibald House, Cavendish Road, Carlton, Nottingham, NG4 3DZ
- Registered directors: Arran Bailey and Paul Giles.
- Company number: 10144417
- All the information seems up to date and correct
Auction Estates Property Auctions are a relatively new name in the UK auction sector, however they bring the vast experience of two former senior figures from Savills, Paul Giles and Bob Crocker.
They hold regular, in-person auctions at the Nottinghamshire cricket ground at Trent Bridge, held in the famous Derek Randall Suite. These auctions take place every two months and feature residential housing, commercial property, land and specialist property investments such as ground rent sales.
Auction Estates Property Auctions work for corporate bodies, charities, Local Authorities, LPA Receivers as well as solicitors and private individuals. They pride themselves on offering clear, impartial and expert advice to both potential buyers and sellers and they follow a strict code of conduct set out by RICS.
2. Auction Estates Property Auctions: Strengths & Weaknesses
Auction Estates Property Auctions are a relatively small scale operation, but a very successful one, with their latest sale producing a 75% success rate. They claim to provide ‘four weeks of intensive marketing prior to auction, and this may explain their high sales rate.
The company has extensive experience in the sector, with head auctioneer, Paul Giles the epitome of the genial auctioneer, complete with three piece suit and friendly smile.
Auction Estates Property Auctions are one of the few auction houses that still hold auctions in-person, with all the excitement and competition this brings. This can have a positive effect on the sale price as bidders gather in the same room to compete for properties. Bidders may also take part in auctions online, bidding remotely against bidders in the room.
While they do handle property across the UK, the bulk of their lots are in the East Midlands around Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, and this makes them something of a specialist. This is ideal if you are in this area, but may weaken their appeal if you are not.
They may have sold over £143m worth of property since they started in 2016, but this still makes them one of the smaller operations, and as such they may not attract the same levels of interest that a larger, national auction firm can.
Are they Propertymark members?
Auction Estates’ website does not show the logo for Propertymark or any of the organisations, such as the National Association of Valuers and Auctioneers (NAVA) that make up the Propertymark brand.
By using a Propertymark Protected member you are guaranteed to be consulting with a professional who will give you up-to-date advice and guidance. Propertymark regulates members’ activity according to a code of conduct and rules, with disciplinary action for instances of non-compliance.
NAVA Propertymark members adopt RICS’ Common Auctions Conditions for auctions of real estate in England and Wales. These are designed to set a consistent practice for auctions across the industry.
However, they may be NAVA and Propertymark members, but simply not list this on their website.
Are they TPO members?
Auction Estates Property Auctions are members of the Property Ombudsman and as such they have agreed to work to a strict code of practice. TPO is a government-approved trade body that protects property sellers.
Membership of TPO means that customers have an additional method of resolving complaints and grievances that cannot be resolved between the existing parties. TPO offers independent adjudication on disputes via a complaints enquiry telephone number 01722 333306 or by completing a form online on the TOP website.
Are They Regulated By RICS?
Auction Estates Property Auctions are regulated by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, with Paul Giles a RICS member since 2001. This is not just a tick box exercise, but a fundamental operating process for the company, as their website explains: ‘Auction Estates has been set up to provide clear, impartial and expert advice with strict rules of conduct via the RICS and Property Ombudsman to protect our clients’.
Are they Registered With The ICO?
Auction Estates Property Auctions has been registered with the Information Commissioners’ Office since 2019.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is the UK’s independent regulatory body set up to uphold information rights. The ICO also governs all forms of data collection and advertising intelligence. The ICO has a Free Online Checker where you can verify whether a company is registered with them or not.
Are they GDPR Compliant?
The Auction Estates Property Auctions website has both a privacy and a cookie policy. These would point to the company being GDPR compliant in the way that they collect, store and use your data, operating in accordance with established codes of practice.
Refreshingly, Auction Estates Property Auctions state that they ‘will not, without your express consent, provide your personal information to any third parties for the purpose of direct marketing’. This is a welcome change in a world of spam emails and unsolicited online advertising.
Nonetheless, users are always advised to share their personal information with caution and to always read cookie policies thoroughly, rather than just clicking to get them off the screen.
Have They Traded For More Than 5 Years?
Auction Estates Property Auctions have been trading for nine years. This is a relatively short time for an auction house. However, a more detailed look at their history shows that the company boasts extensive experience of the industry through tow of its founders.
We use the ‘over/under 5 years trading time’ as a rule of thumb to gauge whether a company is an established entity with a lot of experience under their belt, or just a newly founded business that may not have the expertise or reputation you can rely on. Auction Estates Property Auctions may have only just passed this benchmark, but their experience and knowledge is still very impressive.
How often Are Auctions Held?
Auction Estates Property Auctions hold property sales every two months at Trent Bridge cricket ground. These are traditional, live auctions where bidders compete in person on the day. Bidders may also take part online, but the auction is predominantly live in the room.
To place a bid, you need to have registered in advance and provide compulsory information such as proof of identity and your source of funds, in order to comply with money laundering regulations. Online bidders may need to place cash funds with the auctioneers before they are allowed to bid on a property.
All auctions are held in the traditional style, with bidders competing in front of a live auctioneer, usually Paul Giles himself, until the hammer comes down. At this point, the sale becomes binding and buyers must pay a 10% deposit and agree to complete the sale within 28 days.
what does it cost to sell with Auction Estates?
Auction Estates Property Auctions do not list their charges online, however our sources state that they charge a seller’s fee of 1.5% + VAT, with a minimum of £1,000+VAT. This is excellent value in a sector where the average commission stands at around 2.5%.
Sellers must pay a non-refundable deposit of £350+VAT in order to enter an auction, and this will not be returned if the property is withdrawn or goes unsold. Once again, this is highly competitive, with the standard entry fee being around £500.
Naturally, the fees will vary depending on a number of factors, including the type of property, the property value etc. Prospective sellers are advised to contact the auction house directly for an up to date quote on your property or properties.
How long does it take to sell?
Taking their most recent auction as a typical example (at the time of writing), Auction Estates Property Auctions have a success rate of around 75%. The July auction featured 49 lots, including residential properties, commercial properties and land. Of these, 37 were sold by the end of the auction, with 17 sold on the day and 20 sold prior to the auction. Many of these properties went for a lot more than their guide price.
While their success rate is high for the sector, it still leaves around one in four properties unsold. If this is the case with your property, you will have to wait for the next auction, which can delay your sale by two months or more.
If your property is sold at auction, then the deal is done and there is no risk of the sale falling through, as there is with a sale through an estate agent. This process provides you with a very fast and certain sale, which will not be affected by surveys, cold feet or the countless other issues that mean as many as one in three sales fail.
However, the tight, four-week completion timescale may not leave enough time for potential buyers to arrange a mortgage, and so this will limit potential buyers to developers, investors and cash buyers.
Anything Else Suspicious?
We didn’t find anything that raises suspicion during our thorough research of Auction Estates Property Auctions. Our investigators sifted through all of the data and legal records of Auction Estates Property Auctions and everything was clean.
However, we’ll redact this paragraph at the first glimpse of dodgy practices.
We never stop researching and our unbending commitment to excellence doesn’t waver. This paragraph is only valid up until the ‘Last Updated’ date of this review, which can be found at the top of this page.
3. Auction Estates Property Auctions: Customer Experience
To assess the overall user experience (UX) of auctionestates.co.uk we first analysed their website for ease of use and intuitiveness.
The Auction Estates Property Auctions website friendly and reassuring, introducing you to the team who will handle your sale. It is also simple and straightforward, breaking down the selling process to nine easy stages. Customers will feel reassured by the site and feel that they are in good, experienced hands.
The website features dates and listings for their upcoming auctions, as well as details of previous auctions so you can see the kind of prices similar properties have sold for.
There is a click through button for customers interested in selling their home by auction, as well as email and telephone contact details. The site also features a contact form for enquiries.
First Response Time
We calculated their First Response Time (FTR) by messaging them at approximately 2 PM on a non-holiday weekday (on a Friday to be exact) and used a stopwatch to estimate how long it took them to respond.
Auction Estates Property Auctions responded in 2 minutes 3 seconds.
Which is much faster than the industry average. And a fast FRT is something we consider highly important, especially in this sector.
A faster response time suggests that the auction house is better equipped to deal with customer queries.
And if they’re better equipped to deal with customer queries, then it means they’re investing their resources where it matters the most.
Client Satisfaction Guarantee
We also asked if they offer some sort of ‘Client Satisfaction Guarantee’, and if yes, what would that guarantee consist of.
Auction Estates Property Auctions don’t offer a Client Satisfaction Guarantee but they do say that their whole operation has been created to provide clear, impartial and expert advice with strict rules of conduct, so customer satisfaction is clearly close to their heart.
Client Complaints Procedure
Most reputable companies will have a formal complaints procedure on their website, where clients can express any disagreements, issues or just plain dissatisfaction with the overall service.
Auction Estates Property Auctions has a published in-house complaints procedure on their website. This details how complaints will be dealt with and when you should expect a reply to any complaints.
The complaints procedure comprises two stages, with senior staff involved if the issue cannot be resolved with the member of staff concerned. If the complaint remains resolved, customers can refer the issue to the Property Ombudsman, who will provide impartial, independent advice and adjudication which is binding for both parties.
Speaking To Past Customers
A legitimate auction house that does what it promises shouldn’t have a problem letting you speak to their past customers.
Of course they need to have the permission of the individual involved and provide some kind of proof that it is a genuine past client of theirs.
We strongly encourage all our readers to ask to speak to a past client.
4. Auction Estates Property Auctions: Online Presence
In this section, we’ll discuss what the public thinks of Auction Estates Property Auctions and what online reviews the company has received.
Keep in mind that online reviews can be easily faked. The company in charge might hire fake review writers to write positive reviews. Or on the other hand, their competitors might hire fake review writers to write negative reviews and tarnish the said company’s reputation.
Also, social media followers can be artificially inflated.
That’s why we deem this section as purely anecdotal.
Customer reviews
- Google reviews 4/5 (20)
As is often the case, these reviews are mostly five-star, with just a few one-star reviews dragging down the average.
Domain Rating
- Domain Rating (DR) – 76 / 100
- Search Traffic – 18,000 unique visitors per month
Social media presence
- Facebook – 1000 Followers
- X (Twitter) – 386 Followers
- WhatsApp – 1650 followers
We didn’t find anything suspicious with Auction Estates Property Auctions’ social media or online presence, nor with their customer reviews.
We also didn’t find anything suspicious with their domain rating and backlink profile nor their unique monthly search traffic.
Media Mentions
- N/A
TV Channel Features
- N/A
We didn’t find anything suspicious with Auction Estates Property Auctions’ social media or online presence, nor with their customer reviews.
We also didn’t find anything suspicious with their domain rating and backlink profile nor their unique monthly search traffic.
The Final Verdict
Auction Estates Property Auctions has been set up by two highly experienced experts from the auctions sector, who ran the auctions team at internationally known auction house, Savills. This gives them a great deal of experience and expertise, despite being a relatively new firm.
They hold traditional auctions every two months, and they boast a high success rate, selling around 75% of properties, often at significantly more than their guide price.
Auction Estates Property Auctions do operate on a national level, featuring properties from across the UK, however, a lot of their properties are local to them in the East Midlands, and this risks them becoming known as a local or regional player, rather than a truly national firm. This could limit their appeal to prospective buyers.
They appear to place a great deal of emphasis on customer service, advising and guiding clients. They are members of the Property Ombudsman and approved by Trading Standards.
On balance, Auction Estates Property Auctions would be a good choice for anyone new to the auction sector, as they offer lots of friendly advice and guidance. They also offer the thrill of live, in-person bidding, which is rare these days. However, their relatively small size and their regional image may not offer the full range of buyers that a larger national auction house can deliver.
We will be continuously updating this review as we do with all of our other content. If Auction Estates Property Auctions decide to alter, amend or modify something, then we’ll make sure to adjust our critique and score accordingly.
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The Safe Connect™ programme was created to ensure you not only get the best possible, genuine cash offer, but also to protect you in this unregulated market.
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Your next step
Once you’ve read our impartial guides, you’re completely free to choose an auction house or a cash homebuyer and contact them yourself. There’s no obligation to use our introduction service. We’ll be happy to have helped you to find a company you can trust and stop you being taken for a ride. Our work here is done!
However, we understand that choosing a company to buy or sell your home is a big decision, so if you prefer, you can break it down into easier steps.
First, click the cash offer calculator button below to see how much cash buyers offer for properties like yours. It’s completely free to find out, and it only takes a couple of clicks. You don’t have to give any personal information, just an estimated value of your home.
Then, if this figure works for you, simply add a few more details of your home and we’ll connect you with the cash homebuyer we think is best suited to you.
If you’d rather take the auction route, click the ‘free auction appraisal’ button and we’ll put you in touch with the auction house that we think is the best fit for your property.
Our recommendations cost you nothing and they guarantee you the very best service. The PSW is well-respected within the industry and companies will go all out to prove that they’re worthy of our recommendations, so that we keep sending customers to them.
Click below to start your home selling journey.
If you use the Safe Connect™ programme to connect with a cash home buyer, we’ll personally hold them accountable. We’ll ensure they go the extra mile and treat you like a VIP.
The Safe Connect™ programme is a free service. There are no additional fees or costs on your end.
Safe Connect™ ensures there will be no last-minute price drops and no nasty surprises. It’s quick, easy and it eliminates all headaches.
Our strictly vetted partner will know that you’re coming through Property Sale Watchdog and they won’t dare to mess you around.
Compare Companies
Auction Estates Property Auctions is just one of the many fast home-buying companies in the UK.
In order to make sure you choose the right one, it’s best if you compare them all.
Look at their strengths & weaknesses, their pros & cons and make an informed decision.
It’s essential to know you’re in safe hands, that’s why we’re here to help.
Use our company comparison table to find a reliable and trustworthy service, and decide whether expediting the sale of your property is the right thing for you.
Content Updates
This review is being constantly screened by our investigator team and will be corrected in line with the emergence of new evidence.
If a company contacts us with a genuine and verifiable piece of information which supports their cause, then we’ll immediately redact the review and point to the new information.
On the other hand, if we discover that a company which we’ve previously praised for a certain industry trait, starts to dabble in dodgy practices, we’ll also redact the review immediately.
We’ll point to our new findings and we’ll adjust the table metrics and scores accordingly.
For this reason, make sure to take notice of the ‘last updated’ date at the top of this page.
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