Savills’ next remote auction will be live streamed from one of its own offices for the first time following its phased reopening since the end of May.
The sale on 24 June will also be the first to use a new Savills website, which was in development prior to the coronavirus pandemic. Savills has built up a catalogue of around 80 lots for the sale.
Chris Coleman-Smith, head of Savills auctions, said: “This month’s auction will take a new remote format. In line with government guidelines we will still be holding the auction remotely but from a Savills office, providing a dynamic experience for viewers.”
Savills’ first two remote auctions were live streamed from the home of director Robin Howeson, who was on air all day to offer the catalogue. However, Savills’ auctioneers will now be able to alternate at the rostrum as they would in the ballroom.
Coleman-Smith said the new website would also make bidding at home and viewing the catalogue much easier.
“You are now able to follow all steps in one place – you can pre-register to bid and will remain pre-approved for future sales. You can book yourself onto viewings prior to the auction. On the day itself you can keep a record of your bidding, as well as having flexibility when it comes to bidding on additional lots,” he said.
As in previous remote auctions, bidders will be able to bid online, by telephone or by proxy.
“We see this being the format of future auctions until at least the late autumn if not the end of the year,” Coleman-Smith said.
Coleman-Smith said the mixture of properties in its June sale was generating a good level of enquiries across Savills’ typical cross-section of auction buyers.
“We have several renovation projects in the catalogue and we have seen demand for homes that people want to renovate themselves either to keep, rent or sell,” he said. “The pent up demand that was talked about throughout lockdown appears to be there in the auction market too and it will be interesting to see how that plays out on the 24th.”
Notable lots:
- Lot 21 – guided at £295,000 – a two-bedroom semi-detached house requiring modernisation in Epsom, Surrey
- Lot 38 – guided at £590,000 – a mid-terrace shop with basement and upper part on Boundary Road, St John’s Wood, NW8
- Lot 53 – guided at £1.35m – located in a sought after area just off Clapham Common, SW12, a pair of two-storey completely dilapidated houses with the potential to reinstate or convert into flats
- Lot 69 – guide at £160,000 – an attractive Grade II listed cottage in Woolaton, Nottingham
The total raised from Savills May auction has now risen to more than £17m. It offered 51 lots with more than 38 finding buyers.
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