Allsop raises £43.7m at final residential auction for 2017

Allsop raised £43.7m at its final residential auction of the year, achieving an 81% success rate.

The result takes its total sales for the year to more than £423m, around £10m short of its 2016 total.

The firm said realistic pricing encouraged a welcome lift in bidder enthusiasm at the 14 December sale, resulting in the sale of 150 lots.

Investments in London and the South East proved popular, with five of the highest-value lots sold. These included a six-storey terrace building with four flats and a ground-floor shop in Battersea, SW8, which sold for £1.6m, and a six-bedroom terrace house in sought-after Fulham, SW6, knocked down at £1.33m.

Investments with potential for redevelopment were also sought after. A former day care health centre in Bromley, BR1, sold for £1.4m, while a 5,750sq ft former office building in Ashford, Kent, with potential for permitted development rights for conversion into 12 flats made £865,000.

Gary Murphy, partner and auctioneer at Allsop said: “It’s good to see London lots showing better-than-expected demand.

“That said, the regions continue to draw interest as buyers look for capital growth opportunities and higher returns.”

Murphy said the firm’s success rate for multiple lots was highest in the North East (95%), Midlands and East Anglia (91%) and the North West (88%).

He added: “The market has had to overcome some significant obstacles this year: stamp duty hikes, tapering tax relief, tighter buy-to-let lending criteria, the Brexit vote and political instability all added to market jitters.

“But I think the savvy bidders in our auction rooms – and there are many of them – see this climate as one of emerging buying opportunities.

“Our challenge as auctioneers continues to be pricing stock to maintain interest. I believe our 81% success rate demonstrates that we achieved this last week.

“We anticipate that 2018 will continue in a similar vein, with investors seeking value and willing to bid for assets that are realistically priced.”

Allsop Residential’s next sale will be held on 15 February 2018.

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