Start Here
When you’re selling your property, it’s of vital importance to know who you’re working with.
This is our independent Smith & Sons Auctions review. Our private researchers analysed their company records, strengths and weaknesses.
In here, you’ll find everything you need to know about Smith & Sons 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
1840
Members of RICS
Not stated
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
Yes
Fees
Not stated
Complaints procedure
Yes
Customer service
4 / 5
Trustpilot service
5 / 5 (5 reviews)
Google rating
4.2 / 5 (61 reviews)
Smith and Sons Auctions is a small scale, traditional auction house based on The Wirral, near Liverpool. They are part of Smith and Sons Property Consultants and are housed in the magnificent Edwardian Hamilton Square, which reflects the proud history and traditions of a firm that has been established for over 180 years. They specialise in local, Wirral properties and claim to be the only Wirral firm of property consultants providing regular property auctions.
- PSW Rating
4.4 / 5
1. Smith & Sons Auctions: Company Overview
(source: Companies House)
- Listed with Companies House: 24th September 2000
- Registered Office: 7 Kestrel Close, Lichfield, England, WS14 9PE
- There are two currently registered directors: Luke Smith and Rebecca Smith
- Company number: 12903668
- All the information seems up to date and correct
Smith and Sons Auctions a small, local auction house, focussing on properties on The Wirral and across Merseyside. The company provides a complete property service, including auctions, commercial agency, lettings and property management.
Smith and Sons Property Consultants has rich traditions and has been providing the local area with property services for almost two centuries. They hold online auctions roughly every two months, with around 30 properties on offer.
Auction houses such as Smith and Sons Auctions offer a quick and easy way to sell your property compared to the six months or more of stress you could face when selling on the open market. You may also get more for your property than you would selling to a quick cash homebuyer. However, with just seven sales per year, you could have a wait of up to two months for the next sale if your property does not sell.
Auctions will charge commission along with an auction entry fee that will not be refunded if your property fails to sell. You also need to factor in legal fees for the preparation of documents both prior to the listing and following the sale. These fees are comparable with an open market sale through an estate agent, whereas with a quick cash sale, there are no fees, and in most cases, no legal costs either.
Auctions may generate a higher selling price for your property than a quick cash buyer, but it is still likely to be less than an open market sale could generate. It is also worth noting that there are no guarantees on price or speed of sale with auction houses. A cash home buyer may not give you as much for your home, but they will guarantee your sale in as little as seven days.
2. Smith & Sons Property Auctions: Strengths & Weaknesses
Smith and Sons Auctions hold six auctions per year with around 30 lots in each. These are held in person, with live in-the-room bidding, although bids can also be made by proxy and online from anywhere in the world.
The firm predominantly deals with residential and commercial properties, mostly under £100,000, although they do also sell larger homes at higher prices and they have handled a significant lot in Hamilton Square priced at over £½ million and development land priced at £1½ million.
Smith and Sons auctions are comparatively small, with around 30 properties, and boast a moderate success rate. Their September 2024 auction had 33 lots of which 20 sold, representing a 60% success rate. Their July 2024 auction had 27 lots of which 14 sold, representing a success rate of 52%.
Unlike most auction houses, which list the results of sales dating back several years, Smith and Sons Auctions only list the results of their last three sales and no more.
Like the firm itself, the Smith and Sons website feels quite traditional and formal, although there is plenty of help and advice on offer, including an online bidding guide, a guide to the auction process and a ‘why use auctions’ section.
On the negative side, Smith and Sons is a small operation with a narrow area of coverage, limited lots available and just a few auctions per year. This is fine if you fall within this area, but it limits their usefulness to other sellers. The small scale of their auctions may also limit the number of potential buyers.
Are they Propertymark members?
Smith and Sons Auctions do not list themselves as members of Propertymark and they did not come up on a search of the Propertymark website.
Membership of Propertymark means that you’re guaranteed to be talking to a professional who will give you up-to-date advice and guidance, and your auction house will follow an established code of conduct. However, not being a member does not necessarily mean you will not still get these benefits.
Are they TPO members?
Yes, Smith and Sons Auctions are members of the Property Ombudsman, operate to a strict code of practice and have agreed to abide by the independent arbitration of TPO in cases of disputes.
Membership of TPO gives you have an additional method of resolving complaints that can’t be resolved between you and the auction house. TPO offers independent adjudication on disputes and can mandate compensation payments up to £25,000 in cases of proven financial loss.
Are They Regulated By RICS?
Yes, Smith and Sons have two qualified Chartered Surveyors who are members of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
Using a RICS member gives you the peace of mind that your auctioneer follows the Common Auction Conditions and ensures that clients are provided with terms of engagement that are fair and clear and meet all legal requirements and relevant codes of practice including reference to complaints-handling procedures and, where it exists, an appropriate redress scheme.
Are they Registered With The ICO?
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.
Smith and Sons Auctions have been registered with the ICO since 2015.
Are they GDPR Compliant?
We could not find a published privacy policy or cookie policy on the Smith and Sons website, so it is difficult to say whether or not they are GDPR compliant and will follow established codes of practice when it comes to how data is collected, stored and used.
This does not mean that they are not GDPR compliant, and data and privacy policies may exist and be available on request.
The Property Sales Watchdog recommends that you should always be very careful about what information your disclose and what cookie policies you agree to. You should always have a choice, and you should read any cookie / data use agreements carefully rather than just clicking yes to clear your screen.
Have They Traded For More Than 5 Years?
Smith and Sons Property Consultants was formed in 1840 and have served the local area with a range of property services for over 180 years.
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. With nearly two centuries behind them, Smith and Sons Auctions have far exceeded this benchmark.
How often Are Auctions Held?
Smith and Sons Auctions hold property sales around six times per year, handling a total of 200 or so properties and parcels of land. This means that there is an auction roughly every eight weeks. Each of these auctions carries around 30 lots covering a wide range of property types on the Wirral and in Liverpool.
Auctions are held in person in Birkenhead, although bidders may also take part online.
Their website states that these auctions are widely publicised. ‘Entry into our auction guarantees extensive national and international advertising, circulation of details to purchasers on our dedicated auction database and industry databases throughout the UK and inclusion on Smith and Sons website, Essential Information Group and Rightmove’.
It is worth remembering that if your property is sold at auction, then the deal is done and there is no risk of the sale falling through. As soon as the hammer falls the sale is binding and contracts are exchanged. The buyer must pay a 10% deposit, which they forfeit if they fail to complete the sale within 28 days. 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 can scupper an estate agency sale.
what does it cost to sell with Smith & Sons Auctions?
Smith and Sons Auctions do not list their charges online and we could not find them from any other sources.
How long does it take to sell?
Looking at their recent auctions, Smith and Sons Auctions are moderately successful, with a ‘sold’ rate of between 50% and 60%. This is pretty standard for the auction sector, however it does mean that there are many properties that go unsold at each auction, and your chances of success are not much better than 50:50.
With almost half of properties going unsold at their first auction, a sale is far from guaranteed, and with just six sales per year, you may have to wait two months for your next opportunity to sell. These two factors combine to seriously reduce your chances of a quick sale at auction.
If you just miss an auction, you will have to wait for the next one. If you then fail to sell, that wait becomes four months. By this time, you could well have sold on the open market for more money, with the average estate agency sale taking 4-6 months.
That said, since Smith and Sons are a full-service property company, they may be able to offer opportunities to sell prior to auction, or post-auction, increasing your chances of finding a buyer.
It is also worth noting that the tight, four-week completion timescale of an auction purchase may not leave enough time for potential buyers to arrange a mortgage, and so this could limit potential buyers to developers, investors and cash buyers. If you need a certain fast sale, for personal or financial reasons, a quick cash buyer could be a better option, as your sale is guaranteed in as little as seven days.
Anything Else Suspicious?
We didn’t find anything that raises suspicion during our thorough research of Smith and Sons Auctions. Our investigators sifted through all of the data and legal records of Smith and Sons 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.
Anything Else You Should Know About?
As far as we are aware, Smith & Sons Auctions haven’t received any additional awards or prizes.
There’s nothing more we could add.
3. Smith & Sons Auctions: Customer Experience
To assess the overall user experience (UX) of www.smithandsons.net we first analysed their website for ease of use and intuitiveness.
Like many composite property services companies, the Smith and Sons Auctions business shares a website with the other areas of the business. The auctions tab includes the usual information about buying and selling at auction, although this information is displayed in a rather formal and uninviting way.
It is not a particularly customer-friendly website and feels rather out of date and somewhat basic. This does not detract from the information provided, but neither does it make the user feel welcomed or reassured.
First Response Time
We calculated their First Response Time (FTR) by messaging them at approximately 1 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.
Smith & Sons Auctions responded in 1 minute 5 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.
The Smith and Sons Auctions website does not list a specific guarantee, but it the long-standing reputation of the company speaks volumes about their approach to customer care.
Client Complaints Procedure
As a regulated RICS firm, Smith and Sons have in place a Complaints Handling Procedure (CHP) which meets the regulatory requirements. This describes a two-stage process, initially dealing with the company directly. Should you not be able to resolve the issue to your complete satisfaction, the policy then explains how to use The Property Ombudsman.
The Property Ombudsman service provides independent mitigation for any disagreements that cannot be solved directly with the company.
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. Smith & Sons Auctions: Online Presence
In this section, we’ll discuss what the public thinks of Smith and Sons 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
- Trustpilot rating 5/5 (5 reviews)
- Google rating 4.2/5 (61 reviews)
As with many full-service property companies, these reviews cover the whole of the business. A closer look at the Google reviews shows that all the reviews for the auction side of the business are five-star. All five Trustpilot reviews are also five-star, although the algorithm ranks them at 4.2 based on other factors, including the small number of reviews.
There are also a handful of glowing testimonials on the Smith and Sons Auctions website, but as ever, these should be taken in context as they are not independently verified and companies will only ever use positive reviews to promote their business.
Domain Rating
- Domain Rating (DR) – 55 / 100
- Search Traffic – 10,500 unique visitors per month
Social media presence
- Facebook – 378 followers
- X (Twitter) – 1,222 followers
- LinkedIn – 118
Media Mentions
- N/A
TV Channel Features
- N/A
Smith and Sons Auctions are active on Facebook, X (Twitter) and LinkedIn. This backs up their claim to have a reputation for both tradition and innovation.
We didn’t find anything suspicious with Smith and Sons Auctions’ social media or online presence, and their relatively low customer reviews should be taken in context as explained above. We also didn’t find anything suspicious with their domain rating and backlink profile nor their unique monthly search traffic.
The Final Verdict
Smith and Sons Property Consultants are a stalwart of the property sector in the North West, with a proud history, rich traditions and excellent reputation. With 180years’ experience behind them, they can be trusted as local experts who know the area inside out.
The auction side of the business however is relatively small scale, with just six auctions per year handling just 30 or so properties at each sale. This is not an issue for local property sellers looking for a prompt, professional auction sale. However, their limited local reach and small sale sizes may restrict their appeal to both buyers and sellers.
Smith and Sons Auctions are regulated by RICS, approved by Trading Standards and are members of The Property Ombudsman, all of which reflect the standing and status of the company.
On balance, for the right property, in the right area – notably The Wirral and Liverpool – Smith and Sons Auctions may be a good choice for selling a property at auction. However, their average success rate and the limited size and frequency of their sales should be taken into consideration when making your choice.
Get The Best Cash Offer For Your Property
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.
We’ve independently investigated all the UK’s top fast home buyers with our cast-iron 18 point checklist.
And by using the free Safe Connect™ programme we’ll introduce you to our most recommended & strictly vetted home buyer.
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.
If you click the orange button below, we’ll automatically Safe Connect you to the best property buyer in the UK – as vetted by our team of investigators. And most importantly, you’ll see exactly why we objectively classified them as the best property buyer in the UK.
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
Smith & Sons 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.
More To Explore
The Complete Guide:
What is a Memorandum of Sale And How to Use it
Read More >>
The Bulletproof Guide:
How to Sell Your House Fast and What's the Catch
Read More >>