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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 Sutton Kersh Auctions review. Our private researchers analysed their company records, strengths and weaknesses.
In here, you’ll find everything you need to know about Sutton Kersh 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
2002
Members of RICS
Not stated
Members of Propertymark
Yes (as part of Sutton Kersh)
Trading standards approved?
Not stated
Members of TPO
Yes
Registered with ICO
Not stated
How often are auctions held
Seven auctions per year
Online auctions
Yes
Fees
2% + VAT (min £1250 + VAT)
£360 + VAT upfront listing fee
Complaints procedure
Yes
Customer service
3.5 / 5
Trustpilot service
2.9 / 5 (39 reviews)
Sutton Kersh auctions Is the largest and most successful auction house on Merseyside. They are part of the Sutton Kersh property group. They pitch themselves as ‘the number one auctioneers in Merseyside’ and claim the biggest catalogues, the highest attendance and the best results.
- PSW Rating
4.5 / 5
1. Sutton Kersh Auctions: Company Overview
(source: Companies House)
- Sutton Kersh is a trading name of Countrywide Estate Agents Limited
- Listed with Companies House: 27th January 1974
- Registered Office: Cumbria House, 16-20 Hockliffe Street, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, LU7 1GN
- There are two registered directors of Countrywide: Ian Fry and Richard Twigg
- Company number: 00789476
- All the information seems up to date and correct
Sutton Kersh Auctions are not shy when it comes to blowing their own trumpet, claiming on their website to be ‘Liverpool’s leading residential Estate and Lettings agent and most successful Auction house’ and ‘the number one auctioneers in Merseyside’.
That said, they appear to back this up with proactive marketing and a high success rate for their auctions (though this is unclear as we will see later). Auctions have previously been held at Liverpool’s Crown Plaza Hotel, but due to Covid, auctions are now held online, although they still follow the traditional auction format with an in-person auctioneer live-streamed over the internet.
Auction houses such as Sutton Kersh Auctions offer a quick and easy way to sell your property without the hassle of a sale via an estate agent, or the price cut of a quick cash sale to a homebuyer. You will sell quicker than you would through an estate agent, however with just seven sales per year, you are likely to sell slower than a sale to a fast cash buyer.
Auctions will charge commission, in this case 2% + VAT, along with an auction entry fee of anything from £250 – £500 + VAT. You also need to factor in legal fees for the preparation of documents both prior to the listing and following the sale. With a quick cash sale, there are none of these fees, and most cash homebuyers will pay your legal fees for you.
Auctions can generate a higher selling price for your property but there are no guarantees, either of the price you get or whether you get a buyer at all. If your property goes unsold, you will have to wait for the next auction – which can be 6-8 weeks away, and you may have to pay another entry fee. A cash home buyer may not give you as much as you could get at an auction, but your sale will be swift and guaranteed, and also fee-free.
2. Sutton Kersh Property Auctions: Strengths & Weaknesses
Sutton Kersh Auctions hold seven live auctions per year, all online with a live auctioneer. This is in contrast to may auction houses, which hold 24-hour online auctions. The live auction set up can generate more competition and drive prices up, while the 24-hour auction gives bidders more time to consider their next move.
Sutton Kersh boast a high success rate, claiming an 88% success rate on their latest auction (Sept 24). However, a close look at the auction results appears to show a different story, with a lower number of sales than this. Potential sellers may wish to contact the company for clarification.
Sutton Kersh Auctions advertise properties for auction both locally and nationally to maximise the exposure and increase bidder interest. This includes company website as well as Rightmove and Zoopla. They also send out their catalogue to over 10,000 investors from across the UK and overseas.
However, despite their many claims of excellence, their limited independent reviews are rather disappointing. These reviews may be for the Sutton Kersh business as a whole, and not for the auctions specifically, and in fairness, are not a large enough sample to represent the company accurately.
Sutton Kersh Auctions are a local firm, and as such will only be of interest to property sellers in the Merseyside and North West regions, although they do attract buyer from across the UK.
Are they Propertymark members?
The Sutton Kersh website shows the logos for Propertymark for ARLA and NAEA as part of the wider Sutton Kersh group.
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.
Are they TPO members?
Yes, Sutton Kersh Auctions are members of the Property Ombudsman and as such are obliged 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 and can mandate compensation payments up to £25,000 in cases of proven financial loss.
Are They Regulated By RICS?
Sutton Kersh Auctions founder, James Kersh is regulated by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, and he can be found on the RICS member search web page.
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?
Sutton Kersh Auctions does not appear to be registered with the Information Commissioners’ Office, however they may be registered as part of the wider Sutton Kersh group or Countrywide Estate Agents.
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 Sutton Kersh Auctions website has both a privacy and cookies tab which explains how your data will be collected, stored and used. These suggest that the company is GDPR compliant and will follow established codes of practice.
It is worth noting that this policy states that cookies may be used ‘provide you and others with custom marketing material, such as advertisements linked to interests.’ In other words, by agreeing to cookies, you may be opening yourself to spam marketing.
For this reason, 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?
Sutton Kersh Auctions were established in 2002 by James Kersh and have been trading successfully ever since, giving them over twenty years of experience.
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. Sutton Kersh Auctions have far exceeded this benchmark.
How often Are Auctions Held?
Sutton Kersh Auctions hold property sales online seven times a year. This means that there is an auction roughly every six or seven weeks. Their September auction had over 100 lots and produced sales of £8.2million. There were over 500 registered bidders.
Auctions are held online, with bidders able to take part online or by telephone, or by placing a proxy bid with the auctioneer. You are no longer able to attend auctions in person since Covid, although auctions are still held live, with bidders joining the auction via livestream.
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.
what does it cost to sell with Sutton Kersh Auctions?
Sutton Kersh Auctions do not list their charges online, however our sources state that they charge a seller’s fee of 2% + VAT. This is much just under the industry standard of 2.5% in the auction sector. Sellers also have to pay a non-refundable deposit of £360+VAT upfront to enter an auction, and this will not be returned if the property is withdrawn or goes unsold. Once again, this is lower than many auction houses.
How long does it take to sell?
According to their website, Sutton Kersh Auctions have a very successful track record when it comes to auction sales. They claim that their September auction had an impressive 88% success rate. However, since only 61 of the 101 properties actively for sale achieved a buyer, this does not appear accurate. As with all statistics, there are many ways to arrive at a number, and their calculation process may be different to ours.
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. As soon as the hammer falls the sale is binding and contracts are exchanged. The buyer must pay a 10% deposit there and then, and they must complete the sale within 28 days.
The auction 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. However, this 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.
It’s worth remembering that even with a very successful auction house like Sutton Kersh Auctions, not all properties will sell. Even with Sutton Kersh’s claimed high success rate of 88%, 12 homes will still go unsold in every hundred that go to auction. If this happens to you, then you will have to wait for the next auction, which could be six or seven weeks away, with still no promise of a sale.
Here is where a quick cash sale 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 Sutton Kersh Auctions. Our investigators sifted through all of the data and legal records of Sutton Kersh 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, Sutton Kersh Auctions haven’t received any additional awards or prizes.
There’s nothing more we could add.
3. Sutton Kersh Auctions: Customer Experience
To assess the overall user experience (UX) of suttonkersh.co.uk/auctions-property/ we first analysed their website for ease of use and intuitiveness.
The Sutton Kersh Auctions website is part of the larger Sutton Kersh website and is accessed via a tab on the top bar. This tab has a drop down menu that includes auction guides and FAQs. You can also read a number of glowing reviews from customers.
The website was easy to navigate and features dates and listings for their upcoming as well as results from previous auctions. This not only shows you their success rate, but also gives you an idea of the prices properties have sold for.
First Response Time
We calculated their First Response Time (FTR) by messaging them at approximately 9 AM on a non-holiday weekday (on a Monday to be exact) and used a stopwatch to estimate how long it took them to respond.
Sutton Kersh Auctions responded in 1 minute 23 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 Sutton Kersh Auctions website does list a Customer Care Process, which states that ‘All our team members at Sutton Kersh take customer satisfaction very seriously’. However, this document is more like a complaints procedure than a promise or guarantee of service.
Client Complaints Procedure
As discussed above, the Sutton Kersh website does have a published complaints procedure, although this is not immediately apparent as it is under a tab marked ‘Our customer care process’. Nonetheless, it is good to have the complaints procedure in writing.
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. Having such a procedure in place, shows that the company are willing to listen and if possible, rectify any problems that may arise.
Sutton Kersh Auctions are also members of the Property Ombudsman service, so customers have the extra protection of 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. Sutton Kersh Property Auctions: Online Presence
In this section, we’ll discuss what the public thinks of Sutton Kersh 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 2.9/5 (39 reviews)
- Google reviews 3.4/5 (19 reviews)
The Sutton Kersh website makes a number of bold claims about being the best, so it is a surprise to see such low reviews. However, it should be noted that these are based on very few reviews, considering they have been in the auction business for 22 years. What’s more it can be difficult to distinguish between reviews for the auction business and reviews for the wider Sutton Kersh property activities.
With this in mind, readers should not put too much weight behind these relatively poor scores.
Domain Rating
- Domain Rating (DR) – 82 / 100
- Search Traffic – 6,500 unique visitors per month
Social media presence
- Facebook – 3k followers
- LinkedIn – 600 followers
- X (Twitter) – 2404 followers
Media Mentions
- N/A
TV Channel Features
- N/A
Sutton Kersh also has its own YouTube channel, which hosts informative videos about property matters.
We didn’t find anything suspicious with Sutton Kersh 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
Without doubt, Sutton Kersh Auctions are a major player in the North West auction sector and appear to be the biggest and most successful in Liverpool.
They work hard to promote properties ahead of auctions, and they claim that this boosts their success rate to 88%. However, a quick look at the actual auction sales does call this figure into question.
Nonetheless, with over 20 years in local auctions, and 40 years in the local property sector, it is clear that Sutton Kersh have a lot to offer in terms of experience and local knowledge. This would make them an excellent choice for potential sellers in the Merseyside area and the wider North West region. However, this also makes them a niche local company, and so they will be of little interest to sellers outside of the North West.
They are registered with most of the appropriate bodies, including the Property Ombudsman and Propertymark, and they have all the expected policies and procedures listed on their website. This is reassuring and says a lot about their approach to customer care.
Their relatively poor reviews on Google and Trustpilot should be balanced with the many examples of positive feedback to be found on their own website. The very low volume of negative reviews, for a company selling over a hundred lots every six weeks, should also be taken into account.
Overall, Sutton Kersh seem to be a well-established, well-respected auction house that deliver good results for a reasonable fee.
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.
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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.
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Compare Companies
Sutton Kersh 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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