Savills raised £22.5m at its June sale after more than 600 investors registered to bid in the live-streamed auction.
The number of registered bidders was greater than for its first two lockdown sales combined and there were more than 10,000 views of the 24 June auction.
The success rate was tantalisingly close to 80%, with 54 of 69 lots finding buyers. Some 15 lots were withdrawn prior.
The highest price was paid for a pair of dilapidated two-storey houses just off Clapham Common, SW12, which sold for £1.65m off a guide of £1.35m. Lot 53 offers the potential to reinstate as two dwellings or convert to flats, subject to planning consent.
A part-vacant mews house with workshop in Kensington, W14, (lot 39A) sold for £855,000 after competitive bidding between two parties.
Several new-build flats were snapped up, including four in the same development – Dickens Yard in Ealing, W5 – all let on assured shorthold tenancies. Lots 9, 18, 25 and 37 sold at gross yields ranging from 5.2% to 6%.
Head of auctions Chris Coleman-Smith said: “It was amazing to see the high levels of interest on almost every lot. It goes to show that the pent up demand we foresaw during lockdown is now being released into the market. The success of our auction is in no small part due to the global reach of the wider Savills network and the tools we have at our disposal to reach sellers and bidders far and wide.
“We found that end-users were prevalent in both buying and bidding. Property types that did particularly well were vacant houses in London, especially when they were sensibly priced. This was a theme that ran throughout the day, those sellers who were sensible in setting realistic expectations were rewarded. We also found that regulated tenant stock attracted a new type of buyer profile – private individuals who were new to the auctions world.”
Savills’ next auction will be held on 29 July.
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