Auctioneer: SDL Auctions Graham Penny
What: 14 Trentside at Burrows Farm in Clifton Village, Nottingham
When: July
Guide price: £80,000
Price achieved: £156,000
Not only did the bidder walk away with a two-bedroom, riverside timber bungalow with mooring and fishing rights, the seller also added in a classic gentleman’s motor cruiser within the price. Serenity of Hamble is described as an elegant mahogany-hulled 37 ft craft built in 1958 at Teddington on the River Thames by H.Gibbs and Son. Vejay Pal, senior valuer at SDL Auctions Graham Penny, says: “This was certainly not your usual lot and I am sure the addition of a fine gentleman’s cruiser can only have helped the property to sell for nearly double its guide price of £80,000.”
Auctioneer: IAM Sold
What: A four-bedroom Edwardian property, set in 3.5 acres in Longfield, Kent
When: November
Starting price: £850,000
Price achieved: £1.6m
“This was a stand-out sale for IAM Sold for several reasons,” says Jamie Cooke, managing director of IAM Sold. “It was the first that Fine & Country, who recently signed up with us, sold through our auction services. It attracted a lot of attention and phenomenal sales price after 34 bids and highly competitive bidding. It is the perfect example of how choosing the right sales strategy for a property can help it to achieve maximum value – great for both vendor and agent. To date, this transaction is also a record sales price achieved for IAM Sold.”
Auctioneer: Savills
What: 1B Ennismore Gardens Mews, a 275 sq ft single-storey Knightsbridge mews house, SW7, needing complete refurbishment
When: March
Guide price: £800,000-plus
Price achieved: £810,000
“We always see a great deal of interest at auction for prime central London properties requiring renovation; they tend to be the ones that create a real sense of buzz in the room,” says Savills’ head of auctions, Chris Coleman-Smith. “This lot was unlike anything I have seen before in the auction room: a mews house with great refurbishment potential in Knightsbridge. While it has a 65ft frontage, at one end the property is only 2.5 ft deep, so its buyer will need plenty of vision. The buyer is working with a blank canvas and a space that could be completely transformed, so it will be very interesting to see what they do with it next. The end result is sure to be something truly special.”
Auctioneer: Allsop Residential
What: Sunset House, St Ives, sold on behalf of Devon & Cornwall Housing Association
When: September
Guide price: £625,000
Price achieved: £1.4m
“This was one of the most sought-after lots at Allsop’s September residential auction, which raised a total of £71.3m and topped all residential sales figures on record,” says Allsop auctioneer Gary Murphy. “Located in one of the most desirable seaside locations in the UK and with spectacular views, this three-bedroom property was competitively bid for in the auction room. It captured the imagination of many and sold well above its asking price.”
Auctioneer: Allsop Commercial
What: St Peter’s House, St Albans, a 22,089 sq ft office building in St Albans city centre
When: July
Guide price: £5.7m
Price achieved: £7.1m
The sale is Allsop’s largest commercial lot sold in the auction room since February 2016. “Demand for this property was strong, and there was bidding from a number of different sectors of the market as the property had the potential to become a residential redevelopment opportunity (subject to securing planning consent) or a standing office investment,” says Allsop auctioneer George Walker. “The ‘multi-channel’ ballroom auction allowed a dozen bidders to bid for it and enabled the underbidder to compete online from a beach in Mauritius. The eventual buyer is most likely to leave it as offices.”
Auctioneer: Lambert Smith Hampton
What: 120-126 High Street, Hornchurch, Havering, East London, a former NatWest bank
When: February
Guide Price: £1.45m
Price achieved: £2.56m
“This property is typical of what the market is looking for at the moment,” says LSH head of auctions Oliver Childs. “It has potential to rent out as offices and the value will increase if the purchaser is able to covert to residential either by way of permitted development rights or planning permission, subject to consents. We have found assets like this the most popular over the past 12 months.”
Auctioneer: Strettons
What: 182 Shoreditch High Street, E1, a freehold reversionary commercial/residential ground rent
When: December
Guide price: £575,000-£600,000
Price achieved: £690,000
This is a substantial Grade II listed property close to Silicon Roundabout. It forms part of a larger premises, previously occupied by NatWest bank. There is no independent access to the building as it integrates with No 180. The building does back onto Anning Street. “The interesting part is that its neighbouring/adjoining property (No. 180) is being sold separately by Allsop,” says Strettons auctioneer Philip Waterfield.
Auctioneer: Acuitus
What: UCL Engineering Faculty, Gower Street, London, WC1
When: July
Guide price: £4.25m-£4.5m.
Price achieved: £4.68m
Sold on behalf LaSalle Investment Management, this central London highly reversionary/short leasehold interest was bought by an institutional investor. Acuitus chairman Richard Auterac says: “This year the auction room has been characterised by a greater proliferation of assets which are being offered for £1m or more. The quality of this property and the interest generated from different types of buyer illustrate this trend.”
To send feedback, e-mail julia.cahill@egi.co.uk or tweet @egjuliac or @estatesgazette
